Once Upon a Time
by VyingQuill
Summary: Lily and James's past, Hogwarts incidents, violent Dueling classes, dark plots, more pranks, and L/J...Just click, read, and review! Please?
1. Part One: A Single Tear

Once Upon a Time...

A/N: Okay... this is my first entirely L/J fic...don't worry, it'll be one...er...someday. But anywayz, for now, review, and hope you enjoy it (even though there are a million of these out there...)

Disclaimer: None of these belong to me! Only the plot...not the characters...

Chapter One: A Single Tear

"Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful princess who lived in a fairy-tale castle..." 

"Mummy, what did it look like?" A small, chubby girl, six years of age, with short strands of wispy red hair and pearly white teeth, fingered the little storybook held in her mothers hands. 

"Well, what do _you _think it looks like?" her mother asked, rubbing the little girl's nose with her finger. The girl giggled happily; a sound that put the mother in mind of water trickling down a narrow brook. 

"Gleaming white, shining from every corner...Tall towers...a moat surrounding it...filled with maidens and princes and courtiers..." The little girl propped her chin wistfully in her hands, dreaming of the castle. "Wondrous smells float through the halls—of bread, cake, stew...and candy," she added as an afterthought, flipping a brilliantly colored page of the book. 

The mother laughed, her auburn hair bouncing from her shoulders as she did so. "That's exactly what this fairy-tale castle looked like, honey. Exactly."

"Good! The princess should be happy there!" the girl pronounced, showing her two dimples as she smiled at her mother, green eyes sparkling eagerly. "Read me the rest of the story!"

"The castle was gleaming white, shining from every corner, with tall towers, and a moat. Housed in the safety of it were maidens, princes, and courtiers, and cooks, baking every kind of delicious food. Wondrous smells would float all day through the hallways...breads, cakes, stews, and candies. Now this particular princess we're talking about was happy—except for one thing. That one thing that was missing..."

------One Year Later------

"Now honey, be good for your babysitter..." Mrs. Evans said, leaning down over the now seven-year-old girl. 

"Yes Mummy!" she said happily, knocking over the blocks she was playing with and hugging her mother tightly over the stomach. 

A tall man with dark brown hair walked in next, his blue eyes shining merrily. "How's my little Lily doing? Now Mommy and I are going to the theatre to see a play...you listen to Christina, will you? Okay, Tiger?" 

The girl, Lily, twirled her red hair around her finger, appearing to think hard. Her face broke into a wide grin. "Of course. Now you be off with Mummy, and have a good time! Be good..." she said playfully as her parents slipped on their jackets and stepped out the door. A few moments later, the crunch of tire on gravel could be heard. 

Lily stared blankly out the window for a while, her green eyes bleak, before her babysitter, Christina, gently tugged her away and led her back into the living room. 

They both tumbled into a stack of pillows on the floor, a storybook clutched in Christina's hand. Lily carefully fluffed up a pillow and burrowed comfortably into it while Christina opened to the first page of the book and began reading.

Lily listened intently, barely aware of the rain that had started pouring outside. It splattered against the windows; pelted on the roof, sliding down in little streams of clear water. Sudden flashes of lightening and thunder sent Lily hurtling into Christina's arms, trembling slightly. 

"It's okay, you know. It's just a storm, Lily..." Christina started, glancing out the window nervously. 

"What about Mummy and Daddy?" Lily worried, pulling herself up in a dignified manner. 

"They'll be okay. I expect they've reached the theatre by now." Christina, too, stood up, and put the book aside. "And _I _expect that you're sleepy and need to go to bed. Off you go!" She gave Lily a gentle push toward the staircase. "Before you know it, it will be morning and your parents will be home." 

Grumbling quietly, the little girl obliged, climbing the stairs rather sluggishly. After she had gone up the third step, the phone rang loudly, causing both babysitter and child to nearly jump out of their skins. Breathing a sigh, Christina hurried over and picked up the receiver. Intrigued, Lily ran back down the few stairs she had managed to climb and sat next to Christina on a small wooden chair. 

"Hello?" Christina listened for a while before her eyes bugged out and her lips froze. "W-w-what?" Her face turned white as she slowly faced Lily, whose blazing eyes awaited her voice eagerly. She forced her cold lips into a smile.

Instantly, Lily knew something was wrong as she watched Christina struggle to speak. Finally, she knew exactly _what _was wrong. 

"Remember how you were worrying about your parents in the storm?" Christina started, her mind racing as she tried to put the news in the least dreary way possible. "Well, as it turns out, the storm _was _something to worry about. Your parents—they were driving—and your Daddy took a sharp turn on the highway...the car crashed into the roadside..."

Lily nodded, wondering what Christina was getting at. "The car crashed, and your parents—they were fine—but—but—you know what lightning is, right?"

Lily nodded again.

"A stray lightning bolt—it struck your parents as they were trying to evacuate the car. I'm sorry..." Christina surveyed the little girl sitting in front of her, watching as the true meaning of the news sank in.

"Mummy's gone? Daddy's gone?" Lily spat out, her eyes turning moist. 

"Yes, honey...It's okay to cry...it's okay..."

But Lily refused. She stuck her chin out stubbornly. "Where will I go?"

"I don't know...your mother told me you didn't have any other living relative...I really don't know...I bet some nice family will ask you to live with them, though. Don't worry..

Trembling, the girl tossed her red hair behind her back and dashed up the stairs, picking herself up quickly as she fell heavily on the first step. As she went up, a single solitary tear trickled down her cheek, shining like early morning dew on fresh grass.

It dried up quickly, leaving Lily dry-cheeked and slightly red eyed. 

She stood next to her bedroom window, gazing up at the stars, a fluffy teddy bear clutched in the nook of her left arm, and began praying.

"Dear God, please take Mummy and Daddy to Heaven with you, and let them be happy please...and please grant me a good family to live with. Amen."

She clambered wearily into bed, still clutching the bear. It gazed up at her, friendly brown eyes seemingly understanding. 

And she dreamt of voices lost. 

__

"Once upon a time...there lived a princess in a castle..."

"Mummy, what kind of castle?"

"Any kind you want it to be." 

Feeling very alone, Lily finally fell asleep, huddled tightly under the covers. Unknown, Christina hid behind the door, feeling pity well up in her heart for the girl. 

************************

"James Potter! Go clean up and stop zooming about that broom!" Mrs. Angelina Potter grabbed nervously at the small blur of a figure that was her son. 

"Can't catch me, haha, can't get me!" a small boy with extremely untidy black hair taunted as he tried to spiral his broom upward. Being the toy broom that it was, it wouldn't go more than three feet off the ground, but went at a fairly quick pace. 

"Oh yeah?" A pair of strong hands grabbed James from behind, and James found himself staring into the deep chocolate brown eyes of his father. He wriggled around impatiently.

"Lemme go! I gotta fly!" James continued squirming until Mr. Potter was forced to let James down, or drop him otherwise. He clambered back onto the broom and began flying back and forth again, as fast as the little green broom would allow.

Angelina Potter pushed a stray strand of hair back into her elegant bun and stood up to her full height. "James Harold Potter! We have guests tonight, and I want you to stop acting like this and tidy yourselves up!" 

That stopped the little James in his tracks. "Who's gonna come? Any kids?" 

At this, his father's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. When he spoke again, there was a slightly cold tone to his usually soft voice. "Cassius Malfoy. His son, Lucius, is coming to. Ministry business. I want you to stay out of trouble, stay alert, and be on your best behavior."

"Cassius? What kinda cheesy name is that?" James wrinkled his nose and silently got off his broom, sensing how important this dinner was to his parents. "Is Lucius nice?"

Angelina exchanged glances with Alex (James's father). "Well, maybe not the _nicest _child, but...er...pleasant enough, I'm sure...you two will have fun together...er...you can show him all your neat toys..." With another glance, the two adults hurried out of the room as the doorbell proclaimed the arrival of the infamous Malfoy's. 

James sat alone in kitchen, trying to smooth out his hair. When it didn't work, he jumped onto his feet and plodded out to the front door, where he came face-to-face with a pale, thin boy. 

"Cassius, Aranice..." Alex stood facing the couple with his arms folded behind his back, his eyes boring straight into the cold ones of Cassius Malfoy. 

"Potter." Cassius slipped off his coat, used his wand to direct it to the coat rack, and invited himself into the room. His eyes swept over the room and the decorations, a smirk beginning to form on his drawn face. "Rather small, isn't it?" 

Alex ignored him and instead shooed the two little boys upstairs, with a whispered, "be nice, take him to your room," to James. 

Away from the adults, James finally dared to speak up. Brown eyes sparkling, he turned to Lucius in anticipation as he slowly opened his bedroom door. It swung open, revealing James's messy room. Books, toys, and blankets were strewn all over the place, with the occasional toy leaping up and flying across the room. 

Lucius stood icily at the door, as if the room wasn't good enough for him. "Is this it? My room, at home, is at least three times as large as this...do you have a broom, at least? Or an owl..." 

Crestfallen, James shook his head, but then brightened up again, holding up his little green broom. "My Daddy bought it for me at Diagon Alley!" 

Lucius shook his head, as if talking to a two-year-old. "NO, no, not a toy broom. I mean a real one. Father said that he would get me one soon...a Comet 15." 

Deciding that he didn't like this boy very much, James stuck out his chin and shoved Lucius onto the ground rather roughly before storming away, purposely dropping his broom on the boy's silvery head. 

"Hey!" Lucius rolled right back up, throwing James's broom aside fiercely. "Come back here! No one, especially a Potter, pushes a Malfoy down!" He grabbed James's arm and flung him to the ground, biting and pinching as hard as he could. Biting his lip to avoid crying out, James twisted around until he was positioned on top of Lucius before pinning his arms down and pummeling his stomach. 

Instantly, tears began running down Lucius's face. "Father! Mother! Potter's hitting me! Come quick and set him straight!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. Fear settled in James's heart. He rolled off and tried to escape back into the safety of his room, but it was too late. The four adults rushed up the stairs, each pair of eyes trained on the two boys standing side-by-side. 

"He started it." Both pointed at each other before daring to look back up at their parents. 

Cold fury was etched into Cassius's pale face. He turned around to face Alex. "I don't know what you're playing at, Potter, but you'd better get that—that—_son _of yours to apologize. We will leave immediately, of course, and you will pay. Do you hear me, Potter? You're whole family will pay! No one touches my son!" he spat bitterly, grabbing Lucius's fine hair and storming out without waiting for James to apologize (which he probably wouldn't).

Wondering what was going to happen next, James tried to sidle back into his room, but was stopped with a Look from his father. "James? Did you really hit him?" Alex asked, kneeling down next to his messy haired son. 

James nodded feebly. "But he made fun of my toys! And my room!" 

Alex allowed himself a grin before heading back downstairs, Angelina close behind him. Sniffling a bit, James threw himself (finally) in his room, settling himself by a chair next to his large window. Shining brightly in the velvety sky were masses of stars, all winking mischievously to him. The same sky that Lily Evans was wishing on. 

A/N: Hmm...this might turn out interesting...review and tell me....


	2. Part Two: Home Is Where the Heart Is

Once Upon a Time 

A/N: I hope you like this--I know it's absolutely no L/J yet, but it's going to be. Be patient. Please review and tell me what you want to read in this series, or suggestions on how to make it better, or if it totally sucks...You get the point. Thanx!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own James or Lily, or Petunia, or Diagon Alley, or Voldemort, or Albus, or Barty Crouch, or Rita Skeeter (yes, she makes an appearance, though not by name. See if you can spot her!), or anyone else that J.K Rowling has made up. Gosh, this was long! Whew! Okay, just read now!

Once Upon a Time

Chapter Two-Home Is Where The Heart Is

Lily cast one more longing glance at the once cheerful house—remembered how, each day, her mother had come up to wake her up, letting in morning scents of blueberry pancakes and bacon...how she had always grumbled and turned away before her mother had dragged her our, forcing her to put on her robes and eat...

Christina, though it wasn't her duty, had worked hard for months to find a proper home for Lily—during those months, Lily had stayed at her old home with a hired nanny. Finally, one afternoon, Christina had skipped happily into the kitchen where Lily was busy sipping a glass of OJ, and announced proudly that she had found the perfect family for a little girl; composed of one father, one mother, and a ten-year-old sister. 

And now, here she was, standing on the once lush green lawn in front of her home, waiting patiently for a car to drive up—to take her away—never to see the old place again. An icy hand squeezed her heart as she saw a silver van pull up into the driveway...she managed to catch a glimpse of the warm faces inside the car—each one smiling with anticipation. 

"Mummy...Daddy..." Lily muttered once more before tearing her eyes away from the place where she had grown up and running over to the van, her bag banging against her leg. She turned her head away from her past, and looked forward to a brand new future, washing away past stains but holding the memories of her parent's dear. 

Three people leapt out of the van, the father holding a large, colorfully wrapped package. 

They approached her slowly, as if she were a wild mountain lion ready to spring. Lily stood her ground, staring at each member of the family in turn. 

"Are you Lily Evans?" the man asked cautiously, holding out the package. Lily nodded, taking the package from the man's hands.

"Is this for me?"

"Yes. Before you open it, let me introduce us. We're your new family—well, we will be taking care of you—anything you fell that's wrong, please tell us...I'm Lucas Carol, this is Jenny Carol, and this...is Petunia." Lucas pointed at the bony, horse-faced girl standing slightly behind her parents. 

Lily nodded, feeling it was only right to tell them a bit about herself. "I'm Lily Evans, and...well... I guess I'm kind of an orphan now—but you, of course," she added hastily, turning red. She turned her attention back to the package before opening it painstakingly. As the wrapping paper fell away, it revealed a portrait framed in silver—a portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Carol and Petunia. A small, cutout picture of Lily was pasted neatly behind the threesome. On the bottom corner, in flowing script, someone had written 'Welcome to the Family, Lily!'

Lily felt tears well up in her eyes before she pushed them away and flew into Mr. Carol's arms, then into Mrs. Carol's, then paused at Petunia before hugging her as well. "What'll I call you?"

"Er..." Mr. Carol exchanged looks with his wife. "Anything that suits you...Lucas, Carol...I wouldn't want to be called 'Dad' if it hurts you too much..." he added gently. 

"Okay." Lily, in a daze, wrapped the portrait protectively in her arms and followed the family back to the van, all the while chatting animatedly with Petunia. As she fastened her seatbelt while answering eager questions, she felt a warm glow spread down her arms, tingling at her fingertips before dissipating. If her real parents had to die, than this was the best family to stay with. Her heart knew.

Lily pressed her nose against the glass window, watching house after house roll by, each one with a well tended square of green grass. 

A few more moments later, Lucas pulled up to a nice, two story house, painted white with a dark blue borderline. "Here it is!" The now foursome hopped out as Lily stared at the house, letting the image seep into her bones. 

"It's cute, huh?" Petunia asked, stepping next to Lily and smiling as Lily's emerald eyes sparkled. "Come on! You'll be sharing my room...we already got your bed...Christina told us you liked pink...so..." Petunia paused as Lily dropped her bags near the front door and raced to follow her new sister up the steps. Petunia paused again at the door, pursing her horse-like lips together before flinging the door open. One side was entirely dark blue, with the exception of a white plush carpet, with even the ceiling painted blue with yellow stars. The other side, which contained a bureau drawer, a vanity mirror, and a bed, was mostly a very light shade of pink. A spray of daisies sat in a vase on the pink night table. The soft light from the lamp illuminated pink, as the lamp shade was that color. 

Suddenly, Lily felt her heart drop as she surveyed the room, remembering her spacious, cozy room at home, with pillows covering the floors and flowered lights hanging from the ceiling...A wave of sickness washed over her as she remembered that her mother would never walk into her room, kiss her good night, and shut the door slowly—never again play a game of football with her father...

Petunia must have noticed, as she peered worriedly at Lily's downcast eyes, which had lost their excited glimmer. "Oh Lily...It's okay, you know, to cry. I'd be devastated if my parents died like that...It'll take some getting used to, but you'll like it, Lily! You will!"

Heartened by the girl's words, Lily forced a smile and jogged out the room. "Last one down the kitchen is a rotten pumpkin!" Giggling, the new sisters shoved and pushed their way down the stairs. 

"Slow down, slow down," Lucas reprimanded as he busily began pulling out forks and knives. "Dinner will be a while, so why don't you show Lily around? Let her get to know the way our schedules and rules work—maybe introduce her to a couple of your friends." He patted Petunia on the shoulder and began humming tunelessly to some old song. 

Making a face, Petunia pulled Lily into the living room. "I'll introduce you to the gang! How about that?"

Slightly nervous, Lily nodded and allowed Petunia to guide her out the door and onto the street. The sun was just beginning to set, casting dark shadows over the rooftops. 

"Jacey lives here..." Petunia leapt up a flight of stairs before knocking impatiently on a sturdy wooden door. Lily shifted uneasily from each foot, wondering if Petunia's friends would like her. After all, she _was _two years younger than most of them. The door opened, revealing a tall, blonde girl with large, welcoming eyes.

"Hey Petunia. Who's that?" Jacey nodded her head toward Lily, whose face was turned toward the ground. 

"This is my new sister, Lily..."

**************

"Can I go to Diagon Alley _with _you?" James Potter asked ecstatically as Alex Potter slipped into a pair of clean robes. 

"Why? I'm _not _going to get you a broomstick until you get older, so don't try begging—it won't work."

Clearly, that was what James was trying to do, as his face fell quickly. Then he brightened. "Please can I go? I promise I won't beg for broomsticks or anything...PLEASE?"

Rolling his eyes, Alex chanced a look at his wife, who nodded, smiling. "Sure. Get some okay robes on so you won't be laughed at." He pointed at the numerous chocolate stains dribbling down James's front. 

"Adults...always have to be so clean...takes the fun out of living..." James muttered disgustedly to himself as he pivoted and began rummaging around for a pair of clean robes. 

A few seconds later, a black streak with unruly hair was sucked into a flaming red fire, screaming all the way. 

Alex shook his head as he watched his sun disappear before Apparating away, not bothering with the Floo powder Angelina held out.

Moments later, Alex was blinking away bright sunlight from his eyes as he found himself on a cobbled street, right next to his sooty son, who was trying to beat away a few igniting sparks. 

"Where are we going? The ice-cream parlor?" James suggested innocently, opening his large brown eyes wide.

"No. A trip to the Apothecary...we need to stock up on salamander gizzards so Mum can make that special soup of hers...You know, the one that cures unenthusiasm?"

"Yippeee!" James whooped, punching a fist into the air as he, instead, headed toward Quality Quidditch Supplies. "A new broom! Look, a new model! Star Glider 10! Wow!"

"James! We're not here to stare a brooms all day—wait, a Star Glider 10?" Alex forgot his former disdain and hurried over to press his nose against the glass, like a young schoolboy. "Nice streamlined design...strong, sturdy tail twigs, and utmost comfort and speed—sure is a nice broom." 

"I'll say," James said wistfully, staring some more until Alex dragged him away by his left ear. 

While James was browsing through the dusty shelves in the Apothecary, James lingered around the Mysterious Aura sections, where they proudly displayed various items that wizards still hadn't figured a use for. He was particularly interested in a single blood red stone that rested in the very back, a little sign next to it proclaiming that it cost '600 Galleons. An Item of Many Mysteries—It's Abilities And How to Unlock Them Still Unknown. If Not Bought By January Third, Will Go To Wizard Nicholas Flamel For More Research.'

Just as he was about to reach out and pick it up, the store lights began flickering off and on. Screams from the cobbled street floated in, and a fantastic bang of noise went up. All was dead silent for a while, then people began dashing haphazardly around the streets. James, frightened, ran to his father. 

"James. You find a safe place to hide. I have to go see what's causing this panic..." Alex took up his wand and raced out the door, leaving a dazed James Potter to cope. 

Being the type of kid that usually didn't listen to his parents, James waited until his father was out of eye-sight before slipping out the door. Up ahead, he could see a mob of wizards crowded around something. Ministry wizards on the Hit Squad surrounded the inner perimeters, trying to keep people out. Out of the corner of his eye, James could see a tall witch dressed in red robes, with very long fingernails, pushing her way between people. Hanging on the crook of her arms was a snakeskin purse, with an acid green quill poking it's top out. 

Wizards dressed in expensive robes began popping up all over the place, interested looks on their faces. As James turned his face toward the sky, he saw a putrid looking green skull hovering above the crowd, a permanent monument of horror. A large, blood red snake protruded from the open mouth, it's eyes staring down at the ground mockingly. 

The crowd fell silent again as two Hit wizards began talking. 

"What is it?" someone finally burst out.

Alex Potter, from the very center of the ring of people, looked up grimly. "Shatzi Patil. Dead."

The tall witch gasped before grabbing her green quill. 

"I don't know...we have to watch him..." a voice said from behind James. Whirling around, he saw himself staring at Bartemius Crouch, talking to a lanky man with a long, silvery beard. "Albus, there has been many similar attacks—all traced back to...You-Know-Who. When will it stop? Each time, it's the same thing. Someone winds up dead, with that ugly skull over them..."

The man, Albus, nodded. "Yes. From my sources, each follower of Voldemort has that mark burned into their upper forearms. They call it the Dark Mark. Not pleasant." 

Crouch flinched as Albus said his name. 

The two finally noticed James staring at them with liquid-looking eyes. 

Albus smiled gently. "Hello. James Potter, are you? Your father will be looking for you...better not stray to far." His smile faded. "Especially in times like these."

James backed away uncertainly, muscles quivering, before turning around and running away, no idea where he was going. Running from the ugly Dark Mark. Running from the cold body of Shatzi Patil, who would never again draw a breath. Running from the witch in red, who savored every moment like apple pie, smiling savagely at the world's bad luck. Running...to find his father. 

A/N: review...*runs away skipping* review...


	3. Part Three: In Which There Are Strange T...

Once Upon A Time...

A/N: If you read, I really hope that you review, and tell me your opinions on this story. I hope it turns into a nice series, ending with Lily and James together, but if I don't get enough feedback...well, then...I probably won't finish. So sit back and enjoy (hopefully) (gosh, I've been using that word a lot, hope)

Oh, and I want to thank EVERYONE that reviewed 'Soul Riddles', especially Lavender, PEZ, and person, and everyone else :-). Thanx for following along with me the whole way and reviewing and reading!

Disclaimer: J.K owns Lily and James and anything else you recognize from her books. I own the stuff that's left over.

Part Three: In Which Strange Things Happen

Lily sighed exasperatedly as she hung up the phone once more, staring at the blank sheet of paper in front of her. Bold words spelling 'Forgotten Folklore' was scrawled hastily at the top. It was the start of what was supposed to be a major Social Studies essay which was due the next day, and as of yet, she hadn't found a single thing to write. 

"Lily! Do you want to come to the mall with me and Jacey?" Petunias hoarse voice drifted down the stairs. 

"No thanks. I have this stupid paper to work on!" Lily screamed back enviously as her sister burst into the kitchen, wearing a cute little spaghetti strap dress with an allover red Hawaiin print. It didn't suit her horse-like face. Lily sighed again and ran a hand through her mass of thick red hair, watching as Petunia skipped out the door and ran to meet Jacey. 

The minutes ticked by like hours as Lily continued staring hatefully at the blank sheet of paper, tapping her pencil across the top and willing words to appear. Two thousand words, to be exact. 

__

Tick, tock...Tick tock...Tap, tap, tap...Lily's face was now twisted into a sneer as she held up the sheet and prepared to rip it down the middle.

"Well, Mr. George, there goes the paper you want me to hand in!" Lily growled under her breath as she methodically began tearing a corner away. She stopped, blinked, and did a quick double-take. Instead of the blanks sheet she was getting so peeved at, beautiful cursive letters had appeared, covering the whole paper in tiny letters. Reading it over, Lily found no flaws (that she knew of), and that it related perfectly to the subject. 

Not even thinking twice about it, she slipped it into a protective plastic covering and lifted her head towards the ceiling. "Thank you, O God!" she murmured, letting out a great _whoosh _of breath. She glanced momentarily at the kitchen clock. "Five thirty...maybe I can still do some browsing at the mall..." 

With that, she ran up to her room and changed quickly into a pair of iridescent denim flares, a plain white shirt, and a pair of plain running shoes. She hurriedly slipped into a large blue sweatshirt and raced out the door with a loud, "I'm headed out, Mom!" 

The day was perfect, even for evening. The sun hung low in the sky, warm and casting shadows across the sidewalk. Warm spring breezes grazed her cheek as she strode placidly toward the bus stop just round the corner. Despite the calm, she felt a twitch of doubt in her stomach as she approached the stop. One solitary figure sat on the bench—a boy of about her age, ten, with black hair sticking up every which way. His back was turned to her, but as she approached, he whirled around quickly. Soft brown eyes stared at her. 

__

What a cutie...Lily found herself thinking as she surveyed him and took a seat by him to wait for the bus. "Who are you?"

He paused, considering. A devious smile spread across his face. "James. James Potter. Who are you?"  
"Lily Evans. I haven't seen you around here before. Do you live here? Where do you go to school?" she blabbered out nervously, tucking a stray strand of red hair behind her ears.

The boy shifted nervously. "Well...you've probably never heard of the school...it's somewhere..." he waved behind him vaguely. "I'm just waiting for my father to come...no, I don't live here, seems like a nice place though..."

Lily nodded, standing up as a large bus cruised slowly down the street. "Nice talking to you, James Potter. Maybe I'll see you sometime." She dusted off her jeans and waited expectantly.

"Er...you probably won't," was all the boy offered as he resumed staring blankly at the ground, messy black hair ruffling in the light wind. 

Giving him a strange look, she boarded the bus and quickly found herself thinking about how much ice-cream she could afford, all thoughts of him forgotten. 

"I will be handing out your essays today—if you have any questions, I will be available after class," Mr. George said as he bustled about the classroom, distributing papers. Lily anxiously awaited hers, feeling a wave of guilt wash over her as she remembered she hadn't actually done anything...

The teacher stopped over her, a blank sheet of paper held out in front of him. "Is this your idea of a joke, Ms. Evans? I asked for a two-thousand word essay, not a zero-word blank report." He regarded her coldly over the bridge of his nose. 

"B-b-but...it was all there yesterday! Every bit, perfect!" Lily choked out as she stared disbelievingly at the big fat F staring up from her report, mocking her. "Believe me, I'm telling the truth! All there..." Lily trailed off, realizing how foolish she must've sounded. She sighed and regained her composure, folding her hands across her lap and staring at her fat, pink shoelaces. 

Mr. George made as if to head to the front of the room, but stopped and turned around. "That will be a few days' detention for turning in a ridiculous report and then lying about it." 

Instantly, Lily felt her blood begin to boil. That little prat! He didn't even know that she was telling the truth! She ignored the nagging voice in the back of her mind, saying that she didn't really _do _the essay to begin with. Her face began glowing red, eyes reduced to green slits as she fumed quietly at her desk. Suddenly, Mr. George let out a loud yell. Lily looked up to see that the bottom of his pants had split, leaving a square flap of fabric hanging on by a thread, revealing a set of bright green boxers. 

Desperate, Mr. George grabbed a textbook and scuttled crab-like toward the door while trying to choke out instructions in a very muffled voice. "Class, I'll just be a minute now...don't move a muscle—nothing big.." He continued along this line until his voice gradually faded away as he moved further down the hallway. 

At once, a buzz of chatter started, everyone talking about how bright his boxers had been. Lily smiled contentedly to herself as she leaned back in her chair, blank report in hand. 

Blood rushed to her cheeks again. Tiny words had once more appeared spider-like across the paper. With a few swift motions, she tore the sheet into shreds and watched the miniature pieces float to the ground like snow. 

**********************

"Not so tight Dad, you're strangling me! Do you want me to go and join the Headless Hunt?" James Potter shrieked as he stuck a finger between the narrow space of his tie and bare neck. 

A frustrated Alex loosened his grip and slid into a chair, wiping beads of perspiration off his forehead. "Sorry. I'm just—uptight about this whole dinner party. Everything needs to be just right..." 

"Why is it so important?" James interrogated, wriggling his toes around in the uncomfortable, shiny, hard shoes. 

"The Minister of Magic himself is attending. This is very important for my career—if it goes right, he might even promote me to a higher position so I can actually do something about all these attacks that have been going on lately..." Alex stopped, realizing who he was talking to. He cleared his throat and snagged a beautifully crafted wooden box off the shelf. "Floo powder? Just step in and yell 'Diagon Alley Ballroom'." He craned his neck back. 

"How about Mom?" James asked again as he took a smidgeon of the shimmering green sand. 

"She's not coming. Says dinner parties and formal events aren't her scenario," Alex responded warily, fanning himself with a paper plate. Crumbs flew haphazardly over the floor.

Heaving a huge breath, Alex bent down to pick them up as James tossed the Floo powder into the fireplace and stepped inside. 

As James stepped into the blazing fire, he felt his insides begin swirling nervously. A blur of grates flew pass, with the occasional broom sticking through, almost poking him as he speeded by. Finally he began to slow down, and was deposited onto a floor in a cloud of soot. He stood up and dusted himself off, finding himself in a large room with about a hundred or so people lounging about and talking. His keen eyes immediately picked out the Minister of Magic, dressed in immaculately clean black robes of expensive satin. He glanced down at his own suit, tie now out of place due to the landing. A cough behind him told him that his father had arrived. Sure enough, a hand was place on his shoulder, steering him directly to the Minister. 

"Be good, on your best behavior," Alex muttered out of the corner of his mouth, trying to smile as he approached the balding man. "Oh, Nicholas, how good to see you...I trust you and your family are all in good health?"

The Minister, who James took to be Nicholas, smiled. "Yes, as a matter of fact..." He motioned towards a girl seated lazily two seats away—"This is my daughter, Clarissa...she's attending Hogwarts, twelve years old already, my sweet pumpkin..." he finished proudly, face aglow with pride. Even James had to admit she was pretty, with long, wavy locks of smooth blonde hair tumbling over dainty shoulders. Her eyes were big and a grayish sort of color, fringed with thick black lashes. 

"Oh, that's perfect because—my son here, James, is ten...we hope he will get accepted into Hogwarts, though, the way things are going, he'll probably get into so much trouble he'll get expelled," James added good-naturedly, laughing. However, Nicholas did not find this very amusing.

"A troublemaker? Maybe he shouldn't meet my daughter—might give her the wrong idea," he worried, studying James with critical eyes. James didn't flinch—just stared at him eye-for-eye.

Alex, with a forced chuckle, stepped in between them, quickly shoving James lightly toward Clarissa. "So, what do you think about how the Ministry's been running these days, with that Rita Skeeter digging up dirt on us?"

James silently thanked his father for getting him out of there, and headed straight for Clarissa. He flashed her his most charming smile, his brown eyes glinting mysteriously. "Hey. I'm James Potter...and I hear you're Clarissa, right?" James glanced briefly into her eyes, trying to pick up a few tidbits on what she was thinking. 

Her gray eyes widened and instantly softened, melting as James began pouring her a cup of juice from the long buffet table next to them. She opened her mouth to speak. "Y-y-yes, I'm her. I-I'm h-honored that y-you k-know who I-I am..." She was still struggling to gain control of her vocal chords.

Inwardly rolling his eyes, he plunked down on the seat next to Clarissa (sending her into slight trembling fits), and tried to make friendly conversation.

"So, your father said that you were attending Hogwarts. How is it there? I hope I get accepted next year," James said smoothly. 

Clarissa's jaw dropped open. "What? You're only ten?" She edged a bit further away from James, who had been growing more and more irritated by the second. 

"Yeah. What's it to you? You were ten, once." James struggled to keep his voice low, his eyes unconsciously narrowing dangerously. 

"Nothing. It's okay to talk to you here, but if you get accepted into Hogwarts, you don't know who I am. It's most disgraceful for a third year to communicate with a first year. It'll hurt my reputation," Clarissa replied haughtily, sticking her chin duck-like into the air. 

James almost burst out laughing at the futile attempt to seem sophisticated, but swallowed quickly to stop himself. "Alright. I won't talk to you. But how do you get Sorted into your houses?"

Forgetting her former disdain, Clarissa's eyes lit up and she launched into a very detailed explanation of the Sorting Hat, Hogwarts castle, Headmaster Dumbledore...

Half and hour later, James began nodding off, letting out the occasional grunt to assure Clarissa that he was still listening. 

"...And Dumbledore is a really nice man, really, but can get a bit strange at times. I'm sure you will enjoy your seven year journey through Hogwarts," Clarissa finished, taking out her purse and fishing out a tube of sparkly lip-gloss. She applied it deliberately to her lips, smacking as she put the top back on. Then she turned in her chair and fluttered her eyelashes flirtatiously at James, only to see a peacefully slumbering boy leaning against her shoulder. 

__

He looks absolutely **adorable** when he's sleeping...sort of like an angel...she thought dreamily, forgetting for a second that he was just a 'lowly first year' (next year, that is). Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she drew her hand back and smacked him on the head, royally annoyed that he had dozed off. 

A/N: Ten hundred Galleons to everyone who reviews! Eleven thousand for those who review with suggestions and input! My e-mail is [schern@mbay.net][1] *in a low whisper* just so you know. 

   [1]: mailto:schern@mbay.net



	4. Part Four: Brown, Red, and Hogwarts

Once Upon A Time...

A/N: I'm so grateful to the few people *glares at other people* who reviewed! Thanx...and as you can see...it got me to write the next part! Please continue to review, I'd appreciate it, and I hope you like this.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the characters that already belong to someone--J.K Rowling

Chapter Three: Brown, Red, and Hogwarts

Petunia smiled ecstatically as she brought a large box wrapped in golden foil to the table, throwing it in to join the mountain of colorfully wrapped packages. Lily, who was dressed in a frilly white gown and black dress shoes, turned bright red as her family began urging her to begin unwrapping. Not able to stand it any more, she dove straight in, ripping paper this way and that. 

It was her birthday. Actually, it was the day before her birthday, as it was tradition to celebrate their birthday's a day beforehand. Lily's presents included many art supplies, clothes, a new backpack, a few books, and a few make-up kits. 

With a stream of blurred thanks, Lily's green eyes glowed even more as her foster mother brought in a large cake topped with eleven shining candles. 

"Blow it out, Lilsie, blow it!" Petunia chorused. 

"Wait!" her father held up his hand. "We have to sing to her first!" At this, Lily groaned, recalling how singing was **not** her foster father's best aspect. 

Nonetheless, he instantly began belting out a few bars of 'Happy Birthday', soon joined by everyone else celebrating. Thoroughly embarrassed, Lily took in a deep breath and blew out the candles, beaming as everyone began cheering enthusiastically. 

"Can I cut the cake?" Petunia asked, turning her bony face to her father, who only smiled gently.

"Sorry, but you know the rules. Birthday girl cuts the cake."

Petunia pouted, making her look even worse than she usually did. Her heavy eyebrows were closely knit together as she glared at Lily. Lily winced inwardly; she hated it when her sister got jealous of her, especially since she loved her older sis so much. 

"That's okay, Tunia can cut it," Lily decided. Petunia smiled at Lily gratefully, gave her a hug, and began sinking the knife into the thick three layer chocolate frosted chocolate cake. Lily almost drooled as she watched Petunia put a fat slice on her own plate before serving anyone else. 

__

Pig, was the first word that sprang unbidden to Lily's mind as a flash of annoyance crossed her. Before long, however, she was too busy stuffing herself with chocolate cake to care.

"Mmff...great cooking, Mum," Lily struggled to say around a mouthful of frosting. Mrs. Carrol beamed at the compliment, and urged everyone to take second helpings.

---------------------

Later that night, full and tired, Lily crawled into bed after saying her prayers. From the other side of the room (which was entirely blue, opposed to Lily's pink), Petunia was already softly snoring away, sleeping on her stomach. Giggling at the comic sight her sister made, Lily turned off her bedside lamp and fell asleep dreaming of magic. 

--------------

At about six in the morning, Lily was awakened by her sister's increasingly loud snoring. Her eyes were bleary and clouded as they swept over the pink half of the room—and instantly bugged out when she saw a shadowy little silhouette of some sort of bird outside of her light pink curtains. Tumbling ungracefully out of bed, she tip-toed over and slid the window open, careful to not let too much wind blow in. 

A windblown, smoky gray owl immediately barreled into Lily's stomach in a cloud of feathers. 

"Peculiar little thing," Lily commented as she cradled the owl in her hands. She noticed a rather thick looking envelope attached to the owls left leg. In a green color that held it's own, even against Lily's emerald eyes, were the words: 'Lily Amelia Evans, Larkins Lane, Room Facing West'. 

A bit doubtful, she carefully slit the envelope open and let the contents fall out, expecting a few bath gel or deodorant samples. Instead, a sheaf of thick, yellowed parchment fell out, crackling with newness. 

The first page, written in elegant calligraphy, was what caught Lily's attention the most.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore(For a list of complete rankings, see bottom)

Dear Ms. Lily Evans

You have been specially picked to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy, a prestigious school among many others. Term will begin Septemeber First. The Hogwarts Express, located on Platform Nine and Three Quarters, will insure that you will arrive on time. Enclosed are the necessary supplies and materials for an educational year. A ticket to the Hogwarts Express is included. We await your owl no later than a week.

You may purchase all your necessities at Diagon Alley, between the bookstore and the restaurant located in the London Broadcast Mall.

Sincerely,Deputy Headmistress

Minerva McGonagall

In much the same kind of awe, Lily viewed the materials with a foggy mind. Robes, wands, owls...dragon scales...what kind of sick joke was this? 

__

Well, whoever sent this sure went way overboard, Lily thought as she flipped the envelope over to get a closer look. A red seal, consisting of a badger, a snake, a raven, and a lion intertwined took off half the space. 

A dreamy look passed her face in place of the awe—imagine, her, a true wizard! That might explain a few things...like the report incident with Mr. George...

Sudden squeals and shrieks behind her averted her attention; Petunia, wearing loose blue pajamas, was staring at Lily's letter in horror, pointing with a shaky finger. Her mouth opened and closed, like a fish out of water, before she could scream for their parents.

"MUM!!! DAD!!! LILY'S GOT SOME F-FREAK LETTER FOR WITCHCRAFT!!! COME QUICK TO BURN IT!!!" Petunia tried unsuccessfully to grab the envelope out of Lily's hands, only tearing off a little corner.

A rush of red anger rushed to Lily's brain. "YOU WILL **NOT** BURN IT!!!! THIS IS MINE, AND I HAVE A RIGHT TO FIND OUT IF IT IS TRUE-AND IF IT IS, I HAVE EVERY INTENTION TO GO!!! JUST TRY AND STOP ME!!!"

Petunia crossed her arms and sneered as the bedroom door opened and a frazzled looking Mr. and Mrs. Carrol stormed in. "Well, maybe _I _can't stop you, but I know who can, and will." 

Looking at her sister with more hate than she had ever had, Lily handed the letter to her parents' hands. 

Mrs. Carrol skimmed over it quickly, her mouth agape. Mr. Carrol seemed on the verge of ripping the parchment out of her hands and tossing it out the window. 

A moment of silence followed, with Lily sitting at the foot of her bed fiddling nervously with the drawstring cord of her cargo P.J pants. 

The two adults exchanged looks, and Mrs. Carrol began speaking, much in the same tone as if she were reasoning with a two-year-old. "Now Lily, this is probably some sort of joke—all right, a very well organized joke, but a joke nonetheless. If it will ease your conscience, we will go, but don't be too disappointed if it turns out to be a hoax."

Lily squealed, leapt from her uncomfortable position, and flew into her mothers arms, all the while aware of Petunia grimacing hatefully at her. A sharp tug on her red hair and the slamming of a door told her that Petunia had exited. 

"Can we go tomorrow?" she blurted out after they parted.

Taking a deep breath, Lucas nodded. "Fine. Fine. We'll see if it's really there," he muttered through clenched teeth, looking as if this was taking all his will not to just reject the whole idea go with Petunia's idea to burn the letter. 

Knocking playfully against his arm, Jenny dragged him out, leaving Lily to be showered in delight. 

*********************

(Back to the dinner party that was occurring in Part Three...)

A young Sirius black, with usually messy black hair (now skillfully slicked back) and chocolate brown eyes, skidded to a stop before nearly colliding with the buffet table. Sitting next to the table, regarding him with disgust, was a girl, just a few years older than him, seated next to a grinning, mischievous looking boy that looked about his age. 

Ignoring the looks of venom that the girl gave him, Sirius stuck his hand out. "Sirius Black. 'Bout you?"

Before the boy could answer, the girl cut in. "Sod off, why don't you?" 

Sirius stuck his tongue out at her before turning back to the boy. 

James paused, fiddled with his hands a bit, than stuck a hand out. "Nice to meet ya. James Potter." 

Sirius stared at James's outstretched hand, rather rudely. "Turn it over."

"What?" James looked purely taken aback. "Why?" 

"Just do it!" 

James, looking rather sheepish, turned over his hand, revealing a small Shocking Patch attached to the center of his pale palm. 

"Oldest trick on the book, buddy," Sirius grinned, peeling the Patch off and tossing it carelessly into the punch bowl. It landed squarely on one of the floating slices of grapefruit.

"Hey! Dad just got that for me yesterday—best kind—first rate shock to anyone who touches it!" James protested, getting up from his chair and following Sirius to the back of the large ballroom, leaving Clarissa behind. 

"Boys," she said distastefully, rolling her eyes.

James and the boy, Sirius, had really hit it off. Once they were secluded in a little corner, Sirius had pulled out a handful of Filibuster Fabulous Spreading-Bang Fireworks. 

"See that punch bowl over there, next to that pretty little snob?" Sirius jerked his head to the direction of Clarissa. 

"Already know where you're going," James confirmed before Sirius could say anymore. With a cool, confident gesture, he grabbed the fireworks and raced to hide behind a big bowl of spaghetti on the buffet table. Giving Sirius a thumbs up, he immediately dunked the Fireworks into the bowl and dashed back to the spot where Sirius was silently sniggering. 

The guests of the party all gasped as splatters of red punch began raining haphazardly from the ceiling, dying the clothes and floor light red. 

Sirius turned to his new-found friend, face in awe. "I've never known anyone to do something like that without twitching!"

Brushing off the compliment, James ran over to the gravy sitting next to the mashed potatoes. "Betcha couldn't do it."

"Bet I can." Sirius grabbed the last few fireworks and dropped them into the rich gravy. 

Oozy brown splotches began falling, dousing the already doused people with warm goo. Both boys turned around to see both their fathers glowering angrily at them, faces covered in masks of red and brown. 

"SIRIUS!!"

"JAMES!!"

A/N: REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW...okay, you get the point...hopefully.


	5. Part Five: Alley Trippin'

Once Upon a Time... 

A/N: I hope you all enjoy this installment--and if you're getting bored, plz tell me why. If you like it, plz tell me why, by way of--reviewing! Thank u's to ALL the people who reviewed and made my daaayyyy! And be patient--It _will_ be a L/J fic, I promise. 

Disclaimer: See the disclaimers on the other parts. They all apply to this chapter.

Chapter Five: Alley Trippin'

"Fine mess you made there!" Alex fumed, still staring angrily at James with clenched teeth. 

"And you helped, didn't you!? Who knows, you probably put the idea into his head!" the second man said in disbelief, staring at the growing buzz of amazed chatter. He waited cross-armed for an answer.

Sirius shifted uneasily from foot to foot. "Well...actually..."

"I don't want to hear it! Your mother is going to hear about this!" Mr. Black continued heatedly. "IF you even get into Hogwarts, with this behavior, you'll get yourself expelled! Sirius! You have *got* to stop playing pranks!"

Alex watched this little display, amused. When Mr. Black had finally stopped, he turned to James. "That was actually a really good one, Jamsie, but not timed too well. Maybe at home, or in a restaurant, but *not* here." 

James grinned as Alex patted him on the back and sauntered away, looking quite nonchalant. Mr. Black groaned and threw his hands up before storming away in the opposite direction. 

"Great..." Sirius muttered quietly to himself, gazing red-faced at the floor as Nicholas, the Minister, climbed onto a podium to begin his speech, covered in unpleasant-looking splotches. 

"It's alright. He'll forget about it," James reassured absently, slapping Sirius in the back. 

"Yeah, when I'm thirty," Sirius muttered sarcastically, shuffling off toward the exit. "Come on, let's take a trip...somewhere other than here. They'll never miss us, with all this stuff going on. Maybe Diagon Alley would be good..."

James grinned evilly. "Great idea. But...it would be more exciting if we took a little nighttime stroll down—Knockturn Alley."

"Wicked!" Sirius grinned, and took a pouch of gleaming Floo powder from his pocket. "Absolutely evil." 

With that, both boys stepped up to the fireplace, threw in the Powder, and screamed, "Knockturn Alley!" at the top of their lungs. They were instantly sucked down into a whirring drain of grates.

James shut his eyes tightly as he felt his body being flung around, like some sort of garden scarecrow in the wind. He landed none too gently on a hard, uneven, stone ground. Sirius landed right next to him with a little 'oomph' of complaint.

Both boys got up and dusted themselves off, taking note of their surroundings as they began sliding down the cobbled walkway.

"What a happy little town," James muttered sarcastically from the corner of his mouth as he walked past 'Malivanders—Makers of Fine Cursed Wands since 1521.'

"I don't know. This place give me the creeps," Sirius responded, a slight tremor going down his spine. "Maybe we should go back—you know, so they won't worry about us."

James plastered a mocking smile on his face and turned to Sirius. "Awww...you aren't scared, are you? Poor little itty bitty Wirius is scaarrreedd!" That touched a nerve—Sirius frowned at James and stood up straighter.

"Of course I'm not! Come on, let's go into a shop—look, Borgin and Burkes. Let's see what they have to sell." Without waiting for a response, Sirius marched defiantly to the dusty, putrid looking store and walked inside, coughing as a cloud of dust settled on him. The dusty little doorbell tinkered again as James walked in, right behind him.

"You!" a voice snarled directly in front of them. A blonde boy, about their age, and very cold looking, materialized from the shadows.

"Lovely to see you." James glared at the boy, who gave stare for stare.

Sirius stood helplessly between them, looking at one face, then the other. "Do you...do you two...happen to know each other?

*****************

Lily flipped from one channel to the next, sprawled lazily across the couch between her parents. Nothing seemed interesting—mostly because she was so excited about going to Diagon Alley. ON the other hand, Petunia had been ignoring her all evening, excusing herself whenever Lily walked into the same room as her. And all evening, since she had gotten the letter, her parents had been going on and on about how wonderful it was that she actually might learn magic, if it all wasn't a joke (which Lily seriously doubted). 

Lily pressed the channel surfing button one more time and paused. "Hey Tunia! Look, The Magic Beneath is on! Your fave movie!" 

A sour looking Petunia stuck her face around the corner. She pulled a sneer at Lily before starting her rather rude speech. "How can anyone like _that _crappy movie? All that false magic—evil, I tell you, absolute freak evil! Of course, that's why that movie suits you so well, isn't it? Evil, freak...wow, and the main character even looks like a dog—major resemblance too..." Petunia pretended to be thinking hard. "YOU!!" 

With that final word, she slammed the door shut. A ringing silence fell over the room as Lily's foster parents stared wordlessly at the spot where Petunia once stood.

"Er..honey? Come and apologize..." Lucas tried, his voice echoing strangely in the small room. Sighing, he reached over and gave Lily a supportive squeeze before leaving the room. 

**********************

"Yeah, unfortunately I _do _know that scum right there," James replied icily, taking deep, collective breaths, as if to keep from jumping on the blonde kid. 

"Who are you?" Sirius demanded, stepping right in front of the boy's face. He was easily a few inches taller than the stranger.

"If it means much to you, I'm Lucius Malfoy. I should ask the same about you." The boy's expression never changed as the fiery hate in his eyes grew as he stared at James.

"Sirius Black. And I guess you already know James. And I don't think James likes you very much." _That's and understatement, _he thought as he watched James's fists clench and unclench, turning red as they did so. "And if James doesn't like you, he must have a pre—tty good reason. So why don't you turn your pratty little blonde head and skip out of the store? Eh? How 'bout it?" 

Lucius's mouth grew even thinner as he stood his ground. "Make me." 

"Oh, I will," James whispered. Sirius jumped—for a second, he had thought James had lost his vocal chords or something. 

"I'd like to see you try. Well, actually I wouldn't waste my time on the likes of you." Lucius walked coolly to the door and eased it open, leaning on the handlebar. "But I'll see you around, won't I, Potter? Oh, and Black." He tipped his chin up a bit, surveying the two taller boys standing side-by-side, eyeing him with loathing. With a final sneer that closed up the conversation, he let the door shut quietly behind his back.

"Malfoy," James said, grinding his heel into the dirty floor. 

Sirius remained quiet.

"Hello, boys. May I...help you?" an oily voice sounded over the silence. James jumped, and, without waiting to see who it was, poked Sirius airily in the back. Both hightailed it out the door and down the street, ready to leave Knockturn Alley. 

A/N: Now lets see...if you review, you will be happy forever! Well, actually, maybe I'm the one that will...


	6. Part Six: Sweet and Sour

Once Upon A Time

A/N: I'm SOOO happy you readers like this story (well, I hope)! Plz continue reviewing, everyone! I really appreciate it...It makes my day happier! 

Disclaimer: JK owns most all.

Chapter Six: Sweet and Sour

"Is everything ready?" Lucas called out, watching as his family assembled at the foot of the stairs in ten seconds flat. 

"Got the map and the snacks," Lily answered immediately. She glared at her foster mother, who was next to her in line.

"Sir, yes sir. I've got the money and the letter all ready. Sir!" Jenny turned her gaze to Petunia, who was standing stiffly next to her.

"I don't have anything. I don't plan on going. Sir!" With that, she marched sullenly back up the stairs.

Hopelessly, Lucas's eyes watched her before he let out a huge sigh and began dragging the luggage to the car. "Well, I guess we'd better get going and prepare for a _very _long and _very _strange day."

Stomach bouncing up and down nervously, Lily tossed the bag of snacks in the car and clambered in. 

---------------------------------------------------------------

"London Broadway Mall. We're here," Lucas pronounced after an uneventful two hour drive. He quickly found a spot and the family exited, Jenny clutching the Hogwarts letter in her hand.

"It said in the letter it was between the bookstore and that restaurant..." Lily began thoughtfully, stopping at a directory sign. "And the bookstore should be right over there, with the restaurant..."

Sure enough, as Lily skipped down the corridor, she screeched to a halt in front of a Barnes & Nobles bookstore, crowded with people.

"I see it! The Leaky Cauldron!" Lily squinted to read the fading neon lights. She turned around, examining her parents' bewildered faces.

Finally, Lucas bent down. "Now honey, I know you're excited, but that's absolutely no reason to make up places...We'd better go now..."

"No! It's right there! Come on!" With a stamp of her foot, Lily took off toward the Leaky Cauldron, leaving her parents to fend for themselves.

At the counter of the Leaky Cauldron was an old man, with gray hair, and missing a few teeth.

Before Lily could speak, the old man held his hands up. "NO need. A Muggle. Come with me...and bring your parents."

Without a second thought, she dragged her parents to where the man now stood, in front of an old, dingy wastepaper basket. He pulled out a long, thin rod and tapped three times on one of the rosy bricks. To Lily and her parents' great surprise, a large archway sprang open.

The old man grinned a toothless grin at the awed faces behind him. "This, my friends, is Diagon Alley, wizarding mall."

**__**

A/N: I'm going to skip the part where she gets her schoolbooks and supplies—it's always the same, and I never liked reading about all this. She didn't meet anyone at Diagon Alley, and nothing abnormal happened. Okay. Now let's jump to the first day of school, the Sorting already took place, she's in Gryffindor...and she hasn't seen James yet. 

]

"First lesson, Defense Against the Dark Arts," Lily muttered to herself, trying to squeeze her way through crowds of unmoving people. A large, burly sixth year Slytherin directly in front of her whirled around as she tried to push past him.

"A lowly first year? Pushing moi? Unheard of! At least, without some kind of—punishment." He cracked his knuckles menacingly. 

Feeling her heart begin to pound rather loudly, she dropped her things. Taking a deep breath, she gathered her all the courage she could muster. A thin gap in the crowd began forming as people stood back to watch the row. 

"Really, all I'm trying to do is get to my first class. And you were a first year too, once—an ugly one, but a first year all the same. And did you know that you have a lot of those..." Lily pointed at the Slytherin's knuckles. "A lot of those curly black hairs sticking from your finger? Maybe you should try to remove them...Until next time!" she added brightly as her knees began knocking together, threatening to give way. Not wanting anyone to see her fear, she tried to rush past the sixth year's massive body.

"Stop it right there." He stepped in front of Lily, and, quick as a flash, pinned her arms behind her back in a painful arm lock. "No one makes fun of me and gets away. Apologize. And show that you're sorry."

Tears threatened to slide from her eyes as she hastily tried to blink them away. Her bag and her books lay strewn a few feet away from her, and even though her brand-new wand was in her pocket, she couldn't reach it now. She closed her eyes and waited for him to strike. A rush of wind roared past her left cheek...and missed. Opening her eyes, she saw a strangely familiar boy standing beside the Slytherin, wand out and face cold.

"Michael Flint. I've heard about you. Torturing helpless younger students...tsk, tsk, really." The boy's brown eyes glinted under the harsh lights as Michael Flint immediately dropped Lily's arms.

Relieved and rubbing her shoulders slightly, Lily moved to her own wand, quickly sidestepping to end up just barely in front of the boy.

"This is my fight," Lily declared, forgetting her former fear and doubt. All she wanted to do now was get Flint back for embarrassing her like that, even if she really didn't know any curses or charms. When the realization that she didn't know a single thing about magic dawned on her, she stepped away sheepishly, with a hastily whispered, "Wait, I don't know any magic," to the boy. 

Once more, he and Flint were staring at each other icily. "Well, you've finally met me. Maybe this will be the last person you meet. Who knows?" With a casual shrug and flick of his wand, Flint sent a blast of green light issuing at the boy, who dodged nimbly and prepared for retaliation. 

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!!!" A strict voice echoed across the hallways, causing the crowd to scurry madly to their classes. When the people had dispersed, only Michael Flint, the boy, James Potter, and Lily Evans remained, with a tall, very stern looking teacher with her dark hair pulled into a tidy bun.

"What happened here?" she demanded loudly, her pursed lips narrowing. Her eyes were directed straight at Flint, who was visibly shaken.

"Um...Just trying to help the girl get to her class—It was over there..." he pointed vaguely down the hall. "But she insisted on going here..." He pointed behind him. "And I was trying to get her going in the right direction." 

Looking doubtful, the woman stared at him for another few seconds before her gaze fell on Lily. Her eyes softened a bit as she brushed by the small group. "Get to class now. Flint, no more trouble from you or I'll have to alert the Headmaster."

Grumbling quietly to himself, Flint shoved past the two first years and stormed down the hall.

Lily exchanged relieved glances with the boy. "Hi. I'm Lily. Thanks for sticking up with me."

The boy, instead of introducing himself, stared critically at Lily, studying her face. "Hey. Lily? Do you live around Philmore, Larkins Lane, near that bus stop? Muggle-born?"

Lily gave him a surprised look before it clicked together. "You're that boy from the bus stop! What was your name—it started with a J, didn't it?" She stopped, shifting her weight to her right foot. "And what's a Muggle-born?"

The boy gave her a lopsided grin. "Muggle means people without magic. And yes, my name is James Potter. Thanks for remembering, Lily," he added sarcastically.   
Flashing him her brightest smile, Lily shrugged. "And you're a first year too, so you'll be heading to Defense Against the Dark Arts, right?"

James gave her a thoughtful look. "Maybe...maybe not...maybe...maybe not..." His brown eyes watched her, laughing. Finally, he sighed and grabbed her arm. "Yeah, I am. Let's get going before the Professor loses his temper." 

Lily blushed as James yanked her away. Tiny shots of electric current ran down to her elbow as he did. 

Suddenly irritated, she pried his fingers away from her arm and quickened her pace to end up alongside James. 

Review, Plz!


	7. Part Seven: A Figure in the Shadows

Once Upon A Time...

A/N: Thanx sooo much for reviewing...I wuv reading your reviews, make 'em interesting, if you review...and please review and make me happy! If this is getting really stupid, pointless, boring, etc., tell me! 

Disclaimer: J.K...yeah, you know. 

**_Chapter Seven: _**A Figure in the Shadows

Once they had finally managed to find the Transfigurations classroom (the door kept changing shapes—one minute it would be the table down the hallway, the next it would be a dusty suit of armor) and made their brief introductions to the Professor, they each took seats next to each other, near the back of the classroom. 

Right away, the woman resumed her strict no-bending-the-rules-even-a-bit look. "This will be a class that will follow you all your years at Hogwarts—perhaps even beyond. I am here to teach you all the basics and introduce you to the concepts of Transfiguration, among the most difficult and prized skills of wizards. No fooling or horsing around in these perimeters are to be accepted, and I trust that you, my very own house, will follow that rule." With a final tight-lipped smile, she quickly turned Sirius's desk (it was positioned at the front center of the classroom) and changed it into a large, black dog. 

A girl James didn't know let out an involuntary shriek. "A Grim! We're all going to die!"

Turning a disgusted face toward her, James rolled his eyes. "Yeah. A mass murderer is going to walk in a blast every one of us with some sort of killing curse." 

This comment caused instant pandemonium—some people argued against him, some began talking about how true that statement was. 

Finally, Professor McGonagall raised her wand and sent up a shower of multi-colored sparks. "Settle down...settle down...that was _not _a Grim, though, if it was, there wouldn't be..." she paused, pursing her lips together. "very dangerous anyway. Grim's are a figment of some wizards' imagination—possibly a witch frightened of dogs. And Mr. Potter."

James, upon hearing his name, straightened up instantly and smiled innocently at McGonagall (here, Lily couldn't keep herself from rolling her eyes). "What?"

"The famous killing curse is Avada Kedavra. I have no doubt that you will be learning it later on in your fourth or fifth year." 

James nodded knowingly. "Yeah. I knew that. I just couldn't get my—" he pointed at his mouth—"tongue around the complicated syllables."

Sirius, at the front of the classroom, snorted loudly into his Transfiguration textbook, dampening the pages with spit. The same girl who had mentioned the Grim gave him a disgusted look and scooted away quickly. Noticing this, Sirius turned and leered at her, deliberately letting a dribble of saliva run down his chin. 

The girl turned a shade of puce green and turned away. 

Sirius grinned.

-------------------------------------------

"James whatever-your-middle-name is Potter! HOW COULD YOU!!!???" A very flustered Lily Evans shrieked as a large, clumpy glop of Muscle Thickening Potion was showered over her and her Potions partner. The class looked on in amusement as Professor Korksburn pushed his way through the throng of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs. Lily, much to her _unamusement, _watched as James's arms and legs instantly grew harder and larger. From the staring he was giving her, she knew that she probably looked very much the same. 

"Settle down...settle down," Korksburn panted in vain as he whipped out his wand and shot a few meager beams of light at the two partners. 

James, muscular arms crossed, was rather enjoying the attention as bemused eyes were cast on him and Lily. "Maybe me and Lils here should go to Madame Pomfrey...whatever she does will work better than—" James waved away another stray jet of light before gliding smoothly out the door. Speechless, Lily dragged herself across the floor, surprised at how easily she moved with her new grown muscles. James was waiting for her, a smug smile plastered across his face.

"Who did a pretty good job of getting us out of there? Me!" he declared proudly.

Lily turned red with anxiety. "James whatever-you-middle-name-is Potter!" she screamed for the second time that day. She stopped. "Why did you want to get us out of there? Transfiguration is an important class..."

Grinning slyly through twinkling chocolate eyes, he leaned closer. "Because, honey bun, I love you so much!"

Lily narrowed her eyes and kicked James squarely in his very broad shins. 

"Hey!" James picked up a foot and pretended to kick her, batting his eyelashes and giggling like an egomaniac. For his acting efforts, he was rewarded with another sound kick. Deciding not to get anymore bruises, he dashed down the hallway, with a grinning red-head in hot pursuit. 

"Mr. James _Harold _Potter," a raspy voice whispered from within the shadows, as a tall figure peered around the corner to watch the two children.. A pair of malicious red eyes glinted through, penetrating the darkness like two sharp pinpoints of starlight. "Potter. Watch. Out." A small, curious looking instrument cradled in his arms hummed to life as the figure directed it towards James. 

__

BAM!!!! 

The noise echoed throughout the castle, deafening ears of those who heard. Heads snapped up. Teachers whipped out their wands, ready to battle. And Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, crept quietly out of his office. 

A/N: REVIEW!!! 


	8. Part Eight: Secrets

Once Upon a Time

A/N: Hay...Hooo...Hay...Hooo...Totally lovin' your reviews! Thanx...all of you...I'll try to post a list of thanks soon...Please review this...appreciated greatly by me...

Disclaimer: Go look at all the other disclaimers, if you're so interested. 

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Chapter Eight: Gryffindor Versus Slytherin 

James wasn't quite sure what happened. First, he was dashing down the hallway with Lily, then a circle of light had surrounded him, warming him, then shattered into million of tiny pieces. 

His ears throbbed from the deafening silence. "Lily?" His tentative voice bounced down the hall. 

"W-What h-happened?" came a small, stammering voice, as a red-head coasted slowly into view. 

"You really want to know?" 

Both whipped around at the harsh, grating voice. A black-cloaked figure, robes swirling around him, stood stiffly behind them, a pair of malicious red eyes glittering. 

James instinctively shoved Lily behind him and drew out his wand, not quite sure what to do. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" 

The figure only laughed—a high pitched cackle that sent shivers trembling down James's spine. "What am I doing here? It wouldn't be your position to know, now would it?" From within the folds of cloak, he withdrew a small contraption with silvery-black lines running down the sides before he smashed it with a single, deft stomp. "It failed me, it will go," he sneered, letting his hood fall away from his face. 

It was the first look James had ever had at the face—and he was stunned. A milky white, triangular face...with just two slits for nostrils, and gleaming red cat-like eyes. 

"Oh, do you not appreciate my beauty?" the figure asked mockingly. A wand suddenly appeared in his spindly fingers. "Well, before I should finish you off, I will tell you my name—Voldemort. It will be you last death wish to die quickly..." 

Before James could shoot a retort back, or do anything, he was doubled up in immense fire consuming his body...writhing in agony...invisible, unexisting knives piercing his fragile skin...

Quite suddenly, it all stopped. James found himself curled up grotesquely on the floor, staring into Voldemort's shocked face. 

__

Voldemort...Vol-de-mort...the name rang a faint gong in James's mind, like he had heard it before, but couldn't quite place his finger on it...

He squeezed his eyes shut again, bracing himself for the unbearable pain that was sure to come again. In the far distance, he could hear Lily sobbing to herself. 

"Leave the boy. It is me you want to settle with." Voldemort's red eyes snapped up, roving lazily across the newly appeared person. 

"Dumbledore. How nice of you to drop in," he sneered, forgetting all about James and striding up to the Headmaster's wizened face. 

James hoisted himself up (with some help from Lily), swaying slightly on the spot, with his eyes trained on the two wizards. 

"Get help," he whispered into her ear, not able to rip his eyes away from Dumbledore. 

Nodding grimly, Lily raised her wand and let a piercing whistle rent the air. 

"Why go get them when they can come to us?" she asked with a sly grin. Her smile quickly dropped, however, as Voldemort sent some sort of curse at Dumbledore, who blocked it easily. "They'd better come quick..." 

A few anxious seconds passed before numerous footsteps began clattering down the hallway, and four panting teachers (McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick, and Sinistra) appeared in view, wands held out stiffly. 

"Albus!" McGonagall shrieked as her brown eyes fell upon the two duelers. 

At the sound of her panicky voice, Voldemort turned around and eyed the teachers one by one before he blasted a large, smoking hole into the wall next to James.

"I'll be back. For Potter." Without another word, the taunting words echoing in James's ears, Voldemort had made his way to the window and jumped out. Seconds ticked by slowly before James caught sight of a tall figure, silhouetted against the moon, zooming away on a broomstick. 

"I suggest you and Ms. Evans get back to bed now," Dumbledore said gently, nudging James's shoulder in a father-like manner. "We will deal with this tomorrow, as he poses no more threat as of now. I thank you for your assitance." He nodded curtly at the four teachers and strode calmly down the hallway as if nothing out-of-the ordinary had happened.

There was an uncomfortable silence as the two pupils stared forcefully at the ground. 

"Well! Potter, Evans, head back to Gryffindor common room, and do tell no one," Professor McGonagall spoke up, taking up an arm each and guiding them to the common room. Behind them, the three remaining teachers dispersed. 

Lily, with a pale, drawn face, looked fearfully at James, who winked at her, more confidently then he felt inside. 

__

Why would he want me in the first place? And now...he seems even more determined to get me... James felt his stomach lurch sickeningly as he climbed the stairs to the boys dorm. Grabbing onto the handrail and gasping for breath, he managed to make it to his bed, utterly exhausted. Soft snores penetrated from each drawn curtain, and soon, they also came from James's bed. 

****************

"Where'd you go last night?" Sirius asked again, in a would-be casual voice as he poured syrup over his morning pancakes. 

James plopped down into a seat at the Gryffindor table across from Sirius. "I _told _you—nothing! Nothing happened, everything's fine..." Somehow, he felt guilty lying to Sirius like this, but he plowed on, making up all sorts of outlandish excuses.

Finally, Sirius laughed and ordered him to stop. 

James rolled his eyes and grabbed a plate of chocolate covered sliced bananas in front of him. "What do we have today?"

Sirius pulled out a sheet of parchment that looked like it had been through much, and unfolded it. "Er...New class...Dumbledore wanted to try it out on the first years..."

"Just tell me!" James demanded curiously.

"Dueling. All four houses—together." 

James nodded knowledgably. "We'd better get going...hope we can find the classroom...where is it, anyway?"

"Taught by Dumbledore himself, in a spare room in his office. Reckon it's big enough?" Sirius pulled his chair away and stood up. 

"Forget if it's big enough, where the heck is it?" James protested, starting to follow Sirius before being stopped by McGonagall.

"Mr. Potter." She eyed him critically. She smiled thinly. "I believe _Professor _Dumbledore's office is behind the gargoyle—which will be open today to allow students in..."

Saying a quick thanks, he pushed away and whispered the instructions in Sirius's ear. 

"Oh! I've seen that! Wondered what that great ugly thing was for!" he burst out loudly, raising quite a few eyes in their direction. 

"What a great memory you have, you great prune," James intoned mysteriously, which received him a shove from Sirius.

They continued on that vein for some time, until they stopped in front of the 'ugly' gargoyle that Sirius had been describing, and it was wide open. 

Feeling as if he were disturbing the headmaster's privacy, James hesitated , knocking on the gargoyle's nose. 

"Hey! Geroff me!" the gargoyle shrieked. James jumped, looking doubtfully at the gargoyle. "The buffoon in there says that all students should head on in—and that doesn't give you a reason to hit me, you little git!"

"Shut-up," Sirius advised the statue as they breezed by, careful to keep their distance with the very offended gargoyle. 

"Sirius! Hurry it up...get a load of this!" James said excitedly grabbing Sirius's arm and steering him into the doorway.

A/N: For my traditional after story begging--penny for your reviews? 


	9. Part Nine: Whoops!

anotherone

Once Upon a Time

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A/N: Okay, this is the author's note where I point out and correct all the stupid mistakes I've made. In the last chapter, I put that the four teachers that came included Snape—replace him with...erm...Kettleburn (Care of Magical Creatures). In Chapter Seven, Lily said that Transfiguratons was important when she and James were in the hall, but she was supposed to say _Potions. _People have complained—so now you can't complain anymore! Ha!

Disclaimer: See before.

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Chapter Nine: Whoops!

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A queue of astounded students had already gathered in the small, circular room, jabbing and poking at each other to get better views. A winding, silvery staircase traveled upwards, and was blocked off by a clear, thin barrier. 

James grabbed onto Sirius's shoulder and used it to help him jump a bit higher. The entrance to Dumbledore's office was fascinating—a large, circular room chalk full of whirring gizmos and gadgets, talking objects, glowing orbs, and a fantastic ceiling that let down misty smoke that hovered cloud-like above the floor. 

"I could get used to this—maybe there _are _benefits to being Headmaster," Sirius commented off handedly, trying to keep a handful of smoke cupped in his hands. He failed horribly, as it leaked out in snake-like tendrils. James amused himself by stepping on peoples' feet underneath the smoke and laughing when they didn't know who it was. 

"So! You have come! Prepared, I hope." The chatter died away instantly as Dumbledore's powerful voice filled the room. "Come on up! We are all ready—and make sure your wand is out and ready."

Anxiously, James hastily pulled his wand out, gave it a good-luck swipe on his sweaty palm, and followed the stream of students shoving their way up the staircase, which had begun to rise magically. 

"This should be good," Sirius mumbled out of the corner of his mouth. James nodded and pushed irritably at a girl who had just barreled straight into him. 

After what seemed like an eternity, the twosome squeezed through a large doorway, finding themselves in a massive room, cleared of any furniture that might have been there. Instead, there was a raised platform on which the teachers and Dumbledore stood, welcoming the tide of students. 

"I see you have all made it in one piece! Congratulations!" Dumbledore lifted his arms, blue eyes twinkling brightly. 

The teachers waited as students began chattering loudly, eagerly anticipating the class. 

"Class to order!" Mcgonagall rapped finally as the low buzz didn't cease. "Quiet! Get a partner!" 

James nodded at Sirius and they hurried to the front of the room, just a few feet from the raised stage. Next to them, a tired looking boy and a short, pudgy one were arguing about something and causing quite a ruckus. 

"Mind stopping for a while?" James snapped irritably at them. They gave him sheepish looks before turning away from each other. 

Sirius tugged on James's sleeve, directing his attention back to the stage. 

"First and foremost, the Disarming Spell—wands up, pay attention," Dumbledore said, as the rest of the teachers mingled through the crowd, offering help to those who needed it. "Point it at something—doesn't matter, as this most likely won't work on your first try—the incantation is _Expelliarmus!" _

James held up his wand, admiring for a brief second the light reflecting off the glossy black, then yelled the spell. 

"Expelliarmus!" Across from him, he heard Sirius do the same thing. 

Unfortunately, James's wand was pointed at a fiery red head. A fiery red head that belonged to Lily Evans. And, also unfortunately, his spell succeeded. 

A crackling, whip-like noise ensued and Lily was thrown off her feet, her wand hovering in midair as if waiting for her to grab it. 

The pairs of people around Lily immediately backed away. Professor Dumbledore hurried calmly down the stage, waving through the circle of teachers that had gathered around Lily. 

"_Ennervate." _Lily's large green eyes flicked open instantly. She gazed curiously around the room before leaping to her feet. "OKAY!!! FESS UP!! WHO CURSED ME?" 

"Now, Ms. Evans...I'm sure—" Professor Sinistra trailed off as James stepped jauntily up to Lily. 

"Nice fall," James smirked, in no mood to apologize. After all, it was _her _head that had gotten in the way. 

"YOU BIG BELLIED PRAT!!! HOW DARE YOU CURSE ME!!!" Lily screamed, just on the verge of punching the grinning, black-haired boy in front of her. Her arms windmilled around in circles, threatening to find a target on James's cheek. She bent down to retrieve her wand. "Um...Expelliarmus!" she screamed, as it was the only real curse she knew. 

"Ms. Evans...I'm sure you two can settle this later...we have a class to teach..." Dumbledore said hurriedly. 

Eyes blazing fiercely, James returned curse for curse. "Expelliarmus!" 

Lily was knocked unconscious once more, head lolled to one side. A few nervous titters went up amongst the students before an exasperated McGonagall brushed James aside to take care of Lily. 

"I see our students are learning!" Dumbledore proclaimed brightly, putting a friendly arm on James's shoulder. "That was a good curse, James, very well done. Very unusual—first try, too..." Dumbledore hurried back onto the stage, leaving James alone with Sirius, who was busy laughing at Lily's plight. 

When the students had finally calmed down a bit, Dumbledore went on with teaching blocking and offensive spells. 

"The Full Body Bind...very useful, has gotten me out of many duels..." Dumbledore started, his blue eyes traveling over each face. "Who can tell me the incantation?"

Snape, leaning casually against the wall, spoke without raising his hand. "Petrificus Totalus," he drawled lazily. James cast a shadowy look at the Slytherin boy, who returned it passionately. 

"He would know," Sirius whispered as Dumbledore continued explaining the finer points of the curse. 

James ignored Sirius; he cocked his head at his wand, then turned to look at Snape. Wand, Snape, back again, wand, Snape...

"I wonder..." James murmured to himself, unaware of Sirius' questioning brown eyes. "Petrificus Totalus," he breathed, watching in astonishment as a jet of green light raced towards Snape and hit him. 

A small squeak escaped Snape's lips as he toppled rigidly to the floor. 

"Oh dear, another accident!" Tiny Professor Flitwick hurried across the room to examine Snape. 

"It seems like we have a quick first time learner," Dumbledore said quietly, studying James intently. "Which brings me to...this class will around Christmas time...the teachers and I have decided to put into practice all that you will _hopefully _learn in this Dueling class—by way of a Dueling tournament, all four Houses. Winner's house will receive two hundred points."

This announcement caused immediate excitement amongst the students. 

"Looks like we have a winner!" Sirius joked, poking playfully at an indignant James.

Next to them, the pudgy boy let out a shriek as his partner, a boy with light brown hair, accidentally launched his wand at the boy's nose.

A/N: Review! Yes, I know I include Dueling competitions in half of my stories, but its fun! Sorry...


	10. Part Ten: Memories and Discoveries

**_Once Upon a Time_**

A/N: Thank you for reviewing! I really, really, really appreciate it. Please R/R this, make me happy...please? Oh, and sorry this took so long--school and everything, you know. Enjoy! 

Disclaimer: See before, and before, and before that...

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**_Chapter Ten: Memories and Discoveries_**

"Are you sure you're all right?" James asked for the umpteenth time, carefully stepping down a dark corridor. He cast a sidelong glance at the short, chubby boy by his side, who now had blood streaming down his nose in unpleasant trickles. 

"Yurmph," was the muffled answer from behind the boy's cupped hands. He quickly removed them, leaving a trail of bloody smears on his face. "My name is Peter."

The blood had stopped pouring out of Peter's nose, James judged, by the crusty stuff that was forming around his upper lip. 

"Hi. I'm James—that dork I was battling—that was Sirius—real jokester—kind of like me." James kept a balancing hand on Peter's shoulder as they neared the Hospital Wing. "Who was your partner? You know, the one that gave you the bloody nose."

Peter smiled knowledgably. "That was Remus Lupin. I've known him since…well, forever. He's incredibly _cool."_

James nodded tightly before barging into the swinging door labeled 'Hospital Wing—Madame Pomfrey'. "Better go in—tell her what happened—do you want me to stay with you?" 

Hesitating, Peter looked doubtfully into the room. "N-no...that's ok...b-but i-if y-you really w-w-want to, I wouldn't s-say n-no..." He took a cautious step through the door.

James stared blankly at the floor. "Okay then, Peter. See you later, hopefully." He made a sharp about-face, and was already halfway down the stairs when Peter was roughly grabbed from behind.

"I'm Madame Pomfrey—what do we have here? A bloody nose—easy to fix! Come in!" a high-pitched woman's voice rang down the hall. James winced noticeably before quickening his pace, without a second thought for Peter. 

It wasn't until wandering around in circles for ten minutes when James finally realized he was completely and utterly lost. Strange suits of armor, holding long battleaxes, loomed fiercely over him. James felt a rising panic starting into his chest as he broke into a slow jog. 

Right...now left...down a flight of stairs...into a hallway...up....up...left...another left...dead end....back...back...right...

It continued on and on in similar fashion until James felt quite out of breath. He slumped against a wall, gasping for breath, with his tongue lolling out like some sort of snake. Only the occasional _drip, drop _of water falling to the ground disturbed the silence. 

"Great. Lost. On my first week of school, too. I'm doomed. Cursed. Suppose the Ghost of the Lost will be coming by to pick me up...yep, any day now...Whoach! Yeow!" James's right arm flew out over him as the wall he was leaning against gave away. He coughed, his vision clouded with dust. 

Almost immediately after the commotion, silence took over once more. James sat, stunned, on his rear for a split second before leaping up and turning around. He found himself staring into a small, triangular sort of room, with floorboards and walls made, seemingly, of liquid metal. 

His dark eyes gleamed with hungry anticipation as he stepped boldly onto the wavering floor. His feet sank a few inches, thoroughly alarming him, before they stopped sinking. 

"Wait till I tell Sirius..." James breathed excitedly, sloshing around the perimeters of the room. Nothing was to be seen—the whole room was empty. That is, until James's foot snarled against some kind of fabric, bringing him crashing down to the gluttony carpet. 

Heart racing, he skittered sideways, crab-like, trying to get the thing unsnarled from his feet at the same time. Realizing that nothing was happening (feet getting dissolved, something biting him, being swallowed up by the mysterious object, etc.), he stopped and bent down to carefully feel his way through the bundle of cloth. When his sneaker was finally disentangled, he stood up, keeping a firm grip on whatever had caught him. 

A cloak. James's mind whirred in awe as the cloak flowed smoothly over his exploring fingers. Not any cloak—a silvery, light-reflecting, light-to-the touch, water-like cloak. 

Curiously, he straightened up and flung the cloak over his shoulders. The tail end trailed along the ground for few seconds as James paraded around the room in it—then—somehow—strangely—began flickering—than disappeared altogether. 

Dark eyes scoured across the floor, seeing no sign of the cloak—but still, he felt the gentle weight of it on his shoulders—hands shaking, he lifted an arm—squeezed his eyes shut—popped them open—and saw nothing. 

At this point, he almost ripped off the cloak. His hands were already halfway there when his eyes began sliding in and out of focus. Normally brilliant chocolate colored eyes glazed over. 

_~"Daddy, whuz that?" a little boy, with messy hair, pointed fervently at a simmering, golden concoction that his father was brewing up. _

_"An experiment...if it worked, the result could be fantastic—you wouldn't understand until you saw it, James...Wait here." James's father muttered something under his breath and continued stirring—and, suddently, he stopped. The golden potion began rising into the air, forming little droplets. In a flash of color, the individual droplets zoomed together, as if being magnetically drawn...and a silvery cloak fell to the floor, covering the little boy's foot. Which disappeared immediately. _

_"Hallelujah! Great Scott, it worked!" The boy's father grabbed the cloak, whooping. "I'll get a promotion—just wait, Minister—I told you we could! An Invisibility Cloak!" _

_James, sensing that this was very important, turned his face up to his father, smiling slightly. "Good job, Daddy!" he said importantly before plodding out of the room. His young mind immediately forgot what he had experienced as scents of blueberry muffins nudged his nose.~_

"Could this be...?" James asked aloud, to no one in particular, as he pulled himself out of the room, with the cloak folded in his robe pocket. "Invisibility Cloak..."

*************

He was still slightly cross-eyed when he finally managed to find his way back to the Gryffindor boy's dorm. Sliding back all six bed-curtains, he found that no one was there—probably still class time. 

"Sirius, old pal, just wait until you see—just wait!" James muttered to himself, hastily shoving the cloak under his bedcovers before grabbing his books and racing out, robes whipping in his face as he dashed madly out of the dorm. 

A/N: More Reviewing (I'm obsessed...)!


	11. Chapter 11: It's War!

Ethan Frome

Once Upon a Time

A/N: Thanx 4 all your reviews on the last chapter! You don't know how much I appreciated it. Um...you won't be seeing much from me over the summer (sorry) because I'm going to China for two months. But once I get back, I'll start writing again! Oh, yea *looks sad*...I posted my last half to 'Stained Silver' a while ago and...*sniff* no one reviewed....please review that? And this...cuz its my last chapter for a while, and I'd be happy if you reviewed...

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Disclaimer: Uh...see before

Chapter 11: It's War!

Sirius, as James expected, was particularly awed by the news. He stubbornly refused to believe it, making quite a comical sight standing pouty-lipped and straight backed in the middle of the crowded common room. 

However, once James actually put on the cloak and disappeared from view (only to sneak around Sirius and give him a satisfying kick in the behind for not believing at first), Sirius began to get excited over all the possibilities.

"Sneaking out of class...playing pranks...Jamsie boy, do you know how much fun we're going to have?" Sirius sighed wistfully as the two headed down the stairs for dinner in the Great Hall. 

"No, Sirius, I thought we were going to keep it and do....erm...good," James finished rather lamely. He stepped into the light flooded Great Hall. Immediately, his eyes drifted toward the starry ceiling, then fell back to the Gryffindor table. Lily Evans was seated next to Peter Pettigrew, who had a rather frightened look on his face as Lily reached for a platter of boiled eel. 

"Lets sit over there," James said hurriedly, tearing his eyes away from the fiery girl and guiding himself to the opposite end of the table. 

Golden platters laden with food were already being dug into. Strangely enough, as soon as the twosome had sat down, two shiny silver plates laden with food materialized in front of them.

"Hmm...good service!" Sirius guffawed through a mouthful of goulash. 

James gazed suspiciously at the plates, then at the food platters in the center of the long table. "I don't know...isn't it kind of strange that the food would appear on our plates when...you know," he gestured limply toward the heaping amounts of food in front of them. "When we're supposed to serve ourselves.

"Maybe everyone was served this way," Sirius shrugged, not bothering to heed James's warning. He began biting savagely into a chicken leg. Watching Sirius gnaw away at the fried chicken made James's stomach give an almighty growl. He threw caution to the winds and tucked in, oblivious to the sudden hush spreading across the Great Hall. 

A prickling sensation spreading across his fingertips. His head quickly snapped up, and his chocolate eyes met with the amused ones of an older red-haired boy. 

"Er...Sirius..." James prodded Sirius tentatively in the ribs. Sirius immediately stopped eating and jerked up, a piece of egg dangling from his chin. 

For a split second, James stared at Sirius and burst out laughing. A few giggles rang out with his, and before long, the Great Hall was roaring with laughter, including Sirius.

"Why are you laughing?" Sirius asked pointedly, taking another glimpse at James and cracking up again.

"Why are _you?_" James asked, cocking his head. He looked down at himself and immediately stopped laughing. "W-wait..._I _look like _you _do!"

"You are what you eat," Sirius quoted wisely, though his face was a mask of horror. 

For both of them, their bodies had been transfigured to look like the first piece of food they ate (Sirius looked like a lump of gloppy pudding, and James could barely move for his large stomach that strangely resembled a cream puff).

James forced a strangled sort of laugh out of his throat, and grabbed Sirius by his mushy arm. Together, they traipsed out of the Great Hall, Sirius's legs and James's stomach wobbling. 

As they passed Lily and Peter, James saw a satisfied grin pass over the girls face, spreading rapidly to the chubby boys. Both sat there, smirking widely. 

James exchanged a few well chosen words with Sirius, and walked slowly up to Peter and Lily. 

"You, my good woman and man, are in for _a world of pain and torture," _James said slowly and deliberately, locking eyes with Lily. He turned sharply on his heal, forgetting he was now a cream puff, fell over, and rolled the rest of the way towards the door. 

A few uneventful weeks passed, and James finally proved true to his word. He and Sirius had spent the last month devising the perfect plan, gathering the ingredients for the spell, and had just picked out the perfect Slytherin; a greasy, first year boy with a hooked nose resembling a birds beak. 

"This is going to be _too _good," Sirius whispered as they crept pass the group of clucking turkeys in front of the boys dorm (it was Thanksgiving Day). 

James felt a little flutter of excitement rise from his chest. He nodded briskly. "Teach her to humiliate James Potter in front of the whole school..." 

"Ahem," Sirius coughed loudly.

James smiled sheepishly. "And the famous pudding, Sirius Black." 

A few moments of tense silence passed as they made their way towards the Slytherin common room. A small, crystal clear bottle of purple fluid was clutched tightly in James's fist. The sun had already begun rising in the sky, spreading warm triangles of yellow light throughout the corridors. 

As they descended down a dark, dank set of steps to the Slytherin room, the light gradually began fading away, to be replaced with a musty smell and creeping shadows. 

Finally, they reached a large, stone door, with a bloody portrait hanging in the front. 

"Password?"

James almost dropped the crystal bottle as he turned, horror-stricken, to Sirius. "Password?"

Sirius sighed loudly and walked up to the portrait. "Start guessing."

"Salazar?" James said, trying the first name that popped to mind. 

The portrait hung sullenly, staring at the pair with glinting eyes. 

"Er...serpent? Parseltongue? Ambition?" Sirius let of a string of useless words.

"Yellow bellied big footed prats of the school?" James growled through clenched teeth, losing his temper.

"Mudblood?" Sirius tried once more. The eyes on the portrait popped out, and the door immediately swung open. 

James and Sirius immediately ducked behind a gargoyle statue.

"Clear," Sirius mouthed, and they crept slowly into the common room.


	12. Chapter 12: Poor Ickle Wittle Slytherin

Ethan Frome

Once Upon a Time

**__**

A/N: Shoot! Some of you guys correctly guessed the 'mystery' prank James and Sirius were going to pull on Lily!

Anyways, please review! Add any suggestions, input, whatever...and be sure to check out 'Stained Silver', my newly completed Draco-fic. 

Thanks soooo much!

Disclaimer: Right. 

__

Chapter 12: Poor Ickle Wittle Slytherin

James exhaled as quietly as he could, feeling his heart beating so rapidly against his chest that he felt it would jump out any random moment. Sirius brushed stealthily past him, startling him.

"Calm down, James. Honestly, you'd think we were doing something totally wicked, evil, and against the rules..." Sirius stopped, noting James's nodding head. "Well..._anyways..._Lily deserves it, remember?"  
James pressed his lips together and responded by tightening his grip on the vial of purple liquid. "Let's go. First year dorms...Let's try this staircase."

Sirius tapped his foot impatiently and sighed in an obviously exaggerated manner before throwing his head back and pointing to a sign sloppily nailed onto the wall next to the staircase James was referring to. "Helloooo in there!"  
James tilted his head back slightly, his face turning a light shade of crimson. "Fourth year boy's dorms," he read, squinting at the messy writing. "Oops. Guess we'd better try that one."

Sirius rolled his eyes as he pushed James out of his path. "Yeah, maybe the one marked 'First Year Boy's Dorms _just might happen _to be where he is."

James only smiled innocently back at his friend, further infuriating him. Letting out a loud growl, Sirius lunged at James, knocking him into a nearby armchair. 

Silence.

"Er...Sirius?" James tried tentatively, breaking the stillness. He was lying flat out on the armchair, legs spread-eagled, with Sirius on top of him in a very inconvenient position. 

"Hmm?" Sirius looked up, eyes glimmering. 

"Do you mind—" James continued calmly. "GETTING THE HECK OFF ME????" With that, he shoved Sirius off his stomach and stood up. 

Both boys then began dusting themselves off vigorously, and all that could be heard for the next couple seconds were clothes being slapped at again and again. 

Finally, feeling considerably cleaner of what James thought of as 'Sirius-germs', he headed up the first year staircase, hearing Sirius plod heavily behind him. 

"How should we do this?" Sirius asked as they emerged into the dormitory, which smelled strongly of sweat and socks. 

"We'll just slip a few drops into his mouth—" James was cut off abruptly by a large, overpowering, and very sudden snore that emitted from behind on of the curtained beds. 

"I'm guessing that's him," Sirius said good-naturedly, striding over to where the snore had come from. Drawing aside the curtain, he discovered it wasn't. 

One by one, they began working down the line of beds, pulling the curtains swiftly aside. 

"Oi! James! Over here," Sirius hissed roughly upon reaching the last bed in his row. He held the curtain aside and stared at the hook-nosed Slytherin boy in disgust. "And woe betide anyone who sees his face."

Rolling his eyes, James hurried over, careful not to spill any of the precious potion. His nose wrinkled in distaste as he leaned over the peaceful, slumbering first year, who was currently curled up in a tight ball, sharp nose pointing up, with a trickle of drool oozing out the corner of his mouth. 

"Aww...ickle unnamed firstie needs the dwool wiped of his wittle mouth!" Sirius muttered scathingly under his breath as James poured the potion into the boy's mouth. 

Shooting a death glare at Sirius (who was currently making comical faces in front of the Slytherin), James emptied the last of the potion into the boy's mouth, disgustedly wiped the stray drops clean with the edges of his pajamas, and motioning urgently at Sirius.

"Come on!"

Sirius immediately let go of the curtains, which gradually fell back into place after swinging back and forth for a few seconds, causing another large grunt to fill the room. 

"Let's get out of here," James said in disrelish as he slid precariously down the stair-rail, Sirius close behind him. 

Then, their deed done, they headed contentedly back to their own dorms, eager to see the potion take effect the following morning. 

*************************

Lily woke up the next morning to the gentle snores from her roommates and the cool breezes rushing in from an open window next to her bed. Yawning and trying her best to feign off sleep, she disentangled herself from her tangled bedcovers and set her feet firmly on the plush carpet floor. She padded unsteadily towards the bathroom, where she hastily took out her toothbrush and began to vigorously brush her teeth. Spitting, she turned on the water tap, rinsed her mouth, and splashed some of the deliciously cool water on her face.

After successfully waking herself up, Lily sauntered casually back to her trunk and slipped into a pair of clean, ironed robes before sitting herself down on a nearby chair to await the awakening of her roommates.

As she sat there picking impatiently at her nails, her mind began drifting over the past few action-packed weeks. 

She had, she admitted reluctantly to herself, been a bit rude to James and Sirius, but that couldn't be helped, could it? They were simply asking for more, with their behavior. Grinning, Lily pictured James's shocked face when he had turned into a pudding lump. 

"Well, he _is _kind of cute," she said defensively to no-one in particular. Her voice sounded strangely loud in the quiet room, so she shut her mouth immediately. She frowned slightly her mind began whirring slightly—this James Potter...why did he look so familiar to her? She cast her mind wildly on various memories before her eyes lit up extravagantly. She had been ten years old at the time, and bumped into him at a Muggle bus stop. 

Lily sighed, tracing the pattern of her quilt with her index finger. He had been cute even then, she recalled as she straightened up abruptly against the wall. His smile, his glimmering eyes, his tousled black hair... Lily sat in her trance for quite a while before she was roughly jerked out by a stampede to be the first to the bathroom ( her roommates had just waken up).

"I should apologize for what I did to him earlier this year," she whispered to herself, wondering why she didn't apologize sooner. "Yeah...at breakfast later, I'll find him..."

With that, she stood up and hollered for her best friend, Cynthia Longbottom, to get a move on. 

***********

"Oh, that git over there? He's Severus Snape—awful chap if I ever met one." Two of their newer acquaintainces, Remus Lupin answered the twosome's question as Charlie Figg stared at the oily Slytherin in disgust.

"Snape...sounds like he deserves his upcoming humiliation," Sirius grinned slyly, eyes trained on Snape.

"So does Lily," James responded, _his _eyes trained on the large double doors, looking for any sign of a redhead. Only a few moments later, Lily entered the Great Hall, with one of her friends by her side, busily chatting. 

Sitting by his side at the breakfast table, Sirius let out a tremendous guffaw as Snape suddenly arose from his seat and began stalking flat-footed towards Lily, who had frozen on the spot, bewildered eyes following his progress. 

"Look at him!" James said hysterically, pointing. Snape was walking like a crippled man on a mission—stoop shouldered, feet turned in, and lower jaw jutting out like a gorilla. 

By now, most people in the Great Hall had turned in interest to watch the scene. Even the teachers seemed to be watching out of the corner of their eyes while pretending to ignore it all. 

Snape stopped inches in front of Lily's startled face (nearly running her over), and made began grunting in a low, unintelligible voice. 

"Er..." Lily said unsurely, her eyes casting about wildly before landing on the two troublemakers, who were laughing and poking each other. "James...Sirius..." She muttered between clenched teeth. She quickly pasted a sweet smile on her face and turned back at the greasy-haired boy in front of her. "Pray tell, what do you WANT?" she said, finally losing control and shrieking the last word. 

"Lily, I love you. Will you marry me?" Snape bent down on one knee, holding out a slightly flattened cream puff on his filthy, outstretched palm, as if offering a large diamond ring. 

Lily's eyes narrowed in hatred as she watched James double over as a fresh wave of laughter hit him. 

She let out a breath before riveting her gaze once more to Snape. 

"Um...I really don't think so," Lily answered finally, as no witty remarks came to mind. "Why don't you try that bloke over there? You know, the ugly one with glasses and messy hair." She pointed.

James's head shot up at the reference to him. "Oh, no, Lily...I couldn't possibly take that honor from you." He ducked under the table for a few seconds before surfacing again, his face beet red from laughing. "Being the gentleman I am, I'll let you go ahead."

__

Bloody idiot, Lily thought angrily, hands balled up into tight fists. _This is going to be a loooonnngg day. I wonder how long this'll last? _

A/N: If you got all the way down here, please review. 


	13. Chapter 13: How To Escape From a Candy S...

Once Upon a Time

A/N: Have you forgotten about this story???? Fewer and fewer people are reviewing…is it getting boring??? How am I supposed to know if no one talles me???? ARRRRGGGHHHH!!!!! ***calms down* **excuse the outburst…

Disclaimer: Need I say more?

**_Chapter 13: How To Escape From a Candy Store _**

**__**

By the end of the day, however, Snape could still be seen trailing behind Lily, an infatuated, shining look in his dark eyes. James could barely stand it—every time Lily stalked past, with Snape on tail, he burst out in fresh waves of laughter. Sirius, on the other hand, _couldn't _stand it. He sauntered throughout the day with a dreamy look on his face and would start giggling at random moments. Of course, the giggling only heightened when Lily was in sight (with Snape always behind, mind you!). Most of the Hogwarts pupils were indeed mildly amused by this obviously humiliating show (in fact, some of the older students had come to James for revenge advice earlier in the day), except for a few exceptions. Lily had an extremely tough time of it all, bearing the weight of the humilition. The Slytherins weren't all too pleased to see one of their House acting like a fool over a Gryffindor girl. 

Around dinnertime, just after Dumbledore had announced to the students that the next day was to be a Hogsmeade day, the potion began wearing off, and Snape began experiencing 'in-and-out' moments, where he'd be under the effects of the spell for a few minutes, and be completely oblivious the next. 

Sirius, try as he might, couldn't manage to swallow a bite that night, though he did his fair share of snorting into pudding every time Lily or Snape was mentioned. He ended up very hungry.

************

"Honeydukes."

"Zonkos."

"_Honey_dukes."

"_Zon_kos."

"Honey_dukes."_

"Zon_kos."_

"Sirius!"

"James!"

James shot an irritated look at Sirius, wondering why he had ever befriended such a buffoon-headed idiot. "_Sirius, _we've already been to Zonkos. We have to go back to Hogwarts in fifteen minutes. We haven't been to Honeydukes yet. We need to stop _listening to you!"_

"Zonkos." Sirius responded firmly, planting his feet firmly into the ground and succeeding in doing the imitation of a stubborn five year old child. 

James gave Sirius another sour look. 

Sirius stared. _He looks like an old lady with an itch down her pants she can't reach,_ he thought humorously. "You look like an old lady with an itch down her pants she can't reach," he stated proudly a split second later. 

James started to give his friend another look, but decided against it. Forcing a bright smile on his face, he grabbed Sirius's arm  "Okay, _I'll _go to Honeydukes, _you'll _go to Zonkos. See you at dinner." With that, he stomped off in the direction of the sweet shop, leaving Sirius standing rather forlornly at the corner of the street.

***************__

The bell attached to Honeyduke's door rang out clearly as James entered Honeydukes. Only a few students were still in the shop, as most of them were at the Three Broomsticks having a last drink before the Hogsmeade visit would end. 

"Chocolate frogs—no, no, got enough of those…Every Flavor Beans—ugh, still have that dog poop aftertaste in the back of my mouth…Cauldron Cakes—hmm…seems a bit stale, remember to tell the owner to freshen them up…" James browsed down the aisle, talking hurriedly to himself as he hastily picked out his selections. Unfortunately, Honeydukes had a rather vast variety to choose from, and James ended up taking longer than he had intended. As he hurried up to the counter to make his purchases, he noticed the deathly silence that had blanketed the shop. The lights had dimmed quite a bit from when he had first entered—he supposed it was lack of power behind the Lighting Charm. 

"I'm ready, please make it fast—I have to go soon." James dumped his purchases on the checkout table while searching in his pockets for his money. When he was met with no response, he immediately dropped his money back into his pocket, thoroughly ruffled. 

"I _said, _please make it—" James stopped abruptly as his probing eyes met no one. He was staring into thin air. There was no man at the checkout counter. 

_Where is everyone? _Was the first thought that crept into his head. He began panicking a bit before calming down. _Ahh..forget the stuff, I'll get left behind if I don't leave now. Sirius'll have a ball making fun of me…_With a clean swipe of his arm, the things on the table crashed noisily to the floor. As soon as the products made contact with the ground, they disappeared, only to reappear on their appropriate spots on the store shelves. 

Without a backward glance, James bounced to the door and opened it. The only problem was that the door didn't open. 

James tugged harder on the door. It was then that he spotted the sign hanging from the store window. 

CLOSED. 

"Finally got that into your thick head, Potter," a voice said from behind. 

James whirled around, nearly bashing his head against a protruding shelf, and came face-to-face with Lily Evans.

"What are _you _doing here?" James screamed, resisting the very strong urge to throw himself at something hard. 

"I might be asking you the same thing. Just for the sake of it, I'm going to answer you. Remus Lupin handed me a lollipop earlier today. I ate it. Obviously, it had a Set Sleeping Draught in it. I took it at about noon today, and fell asleep in the back aisle of the shop. And woke up just now."

"Clever…I'm going to have to start talking him more," James muttered to himself, despite the situation. "Ingenious, really, the Draught…puts you to sleep hours after you take it, so you don't get caught—takes the suspicion off of you…"

"AARRRGGHGHH…James Potter, you are impossible!" Lily promptly stalked off down an aisle and was soon lost in the shadows. 


	14. NEW Chapter 14: Presenting...

* * *

Once Upon a Time

A/N: Please review! Okay? Okay. And, if it's not too much, please read my other story, Rules of Chess, and review that too (it's a bit short on reviews, and that's depressing…). Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Big hug and lots of thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, JK does.

**_Chapter 14: Presenting_**…

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock._

_Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. _Lily tapped her foot to the beat the clock set while biting her fingernails boredly. James sat slouching in a chair, eyes glossed over and unaware of anything. Suddenly, he sat up. "I'm hungry," he complained.

Lily looked at him, then rolled her eyes. "Think, Potter, think."

James slouched back down again, apparently in deep thought. After a few seconds, he sat up again. "I'm hungry."

Lily rolled her eyes yet another time. "James, look around you. We are in a _sweet _shop. If there's one thing that won't happen, it's us starving to death."

James's face was the picture of pure delight as he shot out of his seat began raiding the nearest shelf, which happened to be stocked with—

"Blood Pops!" James choked out, wrenching the lollipop from his mouth. He licked his lips thoughtfully, then raised the Blood Pop to his mouth once more. "Not too bad. Want a taste?" He bit off half of the Pop before offering the remnants to Lily, who quickly backed away from James. 

After devouring the Blood Pop, James leaned idly against the wall, scratching his head in an impish sort of way. 

"Sooo…" he started, casting his mind around for something to say.

"So," Lily replied casually.

"Soooo…are you ready for that Dueling Tournament next week?" James finished proudly, mentally congratulating himself for his amazing ability to start conversation. 

"Next week? Are you sure?" Lily asked, alarmed.

"Yes, next week. December 17th…next week…they match up, don't they," James said sarcastically, shocked that anyone would forget. 

"Oh." Lily fell silent. James, too, was silent. 

More silence followed. 

"Arrgghh! Forget this 'trying to make a conversation' thing. It's not working!" James threw up his hands in exasperation and sat himself down on a chair across from Lily. 

Silence. 

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock._

Quite abruptly, Lily stood straight up, almost knocking a nearby table over. "How could I be so dense?" she scolded, rapping herself on the temple.

James, voice laden with concern, immediately held down Lily's arm so she wouldn't further hurt herself. "You're not dense."  
"Yes I am! Look, Potter, the door's locked with a spell. Well, we have our wands, so why can't we just use _Alohomora _and open it? See how dense we are?"

The simplicity and brilliance of the idea hit James. "Ingenious! Why didn't we think of that earlier? We _are _pretty dense—hey!" James stopped, looking offended. "What do you mean we? _I'm _not dense, _you _are, remember?"

Ignoring James, Lily strode purposefully to the door, whipped out her wand, and tapped the knob, whispering _"Alhomora"_ under her breath. 

James waited with bated breath as Lily slowly reached out to grasp the shiny doorknob. She let her hand rest on the knob, frozen, for a moment before she twisted it with a flick of her wrist. To James's relief, the door sprang open at once.

With an awed look in her eyes, Lily burst from the shop, twirling her wand wildly between her fingers and barely able to contain her excitement. 

Before exiting Honeydukes, James grabbed a Chocolate Frog and pocketed it, with the intent of eating it on the way back to Hogwarts. 

***************

Cold, wet, and hungry, James staggered into the Entrance Hall, closely followed by Lily. It had begun to rain, complete with thunder and lightening, at the halfway point of their journey back. 

"What do we do now?" James wondered aloud as he dried himself off with a Drying and Heating Charm. Lily did the same. 

"I suppose we try to sneak into the Great Hall…it _is _around dinnertime, isn't it?" Lily replied matter-of-factly, brushing past James and skipping lithely to the entrance of the Great Hall. She pressed her ear against the keyhole, listening carefully. "We'd better go in. By the sounds of it, dinner's just started." She placed a simple Silencing Charm on the creaky hinges of the double door.

Feeling a bit shaky now, James made his way to the door. Ever so slowly, he began pulling it open, just enough so a slim person could easily slip through. With a mock bow, he waited until Lily had entered before darting in himself, letting the door close gently behind him. 

No one in the Great Hall acknowledged their arrival, so busy they were with chatting and eating. 

Leaving James to his own devices, Lily left his side and stealthily slipped into an empty seat next to a Gryffindor first year with raven black hair.

"That's all I get, no thanks at all," James grumbled as he walked over to an empty seat next to Remus Lupin, in a would-be casual manner. "Can I sit here?" he asked, tapping the boy on the shoulder. 

Remus turned around, mouth bulging with roast steak and gravy. "Mmm hmm," he managed to say, choking slightly on the steak. "Mmff hmm," he tried again. Making an exasperated noise in the back of his throat, he pointed at the seat and nodded. 

Smiling gratefully, James lowered himself into the seat, eyes instinctively traveling to the staff table where Dumbledore was eyeing him in a rather suspicious manner. Deciding to play innocent, James turned to his plate and began shoveling food onto it. Just as he had stabbed a fork into a stuffed mushroom, Remus cleared his throat loudly. 

Startled, James let the fork clatter onto his plate. 

Pleased at catching James's attention, Remus fixed his sparkling hazel eyes on the other boys guilty face. 

"Where were you?" he whispered hoarsely as he leaned forward in a secretive sort of way. 

"Oh." James looked slightly taken aback at the question, but got over it soon enough. "If you don't tell anyone…"

Remus shook his head earnestly. 

"Me and Lily got locked into Hogsmeade…" James picked up his fork, nudging it slightly so that it caught the light. "Say, do you think this is pure silver?"

"I would hope not," Remus said, his voice darkening slightly as he wrapped a napkin around his spoon before dipping it into a bowl of chicken broth. He turned bright red. "I would hope not because I don't want to get such an expensive piece of jewelry dirty…that's why we should start wrapping napkins around the spoons so we don't damage them," he amended hastily, turning even redder. 

A bit bewildered at Remus's behavior, James began talking again. "Yeah. So Lily put this charm on the door and it opened, and we sneaked back in here. Ta da!" he said dramatically, striking a (in his opinion) valiant pose. 

"How'd you get locked in?" Remus asked curiously, wincing slightly as his arm brushed past a silver goblet. _Why'd the founders of the school have to get so much silver tableware? Gold would suffice…_ he thought angrily, all the while careful to keep a friendly smile on his face.

"Lily said you'd given her a lollipop spiked with a Sleeping Draught of some sort, and I…lost track of time," James admitted, blushing slightly. 

"So it worked!" Remus burst delightedly at the mention of Lily. "The Set Sleeping Draught worked!"

"Of course it did. Brilliant if I do say so myself," James agreed. "I'd like to borrow some sometime. You know, me and Sirius are dubbed the Residential Pranksters around here…that concoction of yours would be great to use on the Slytherins during Potions class…I should write this down, it's too good of a scheme to forget…" James stopped, noting Remus's amused look. 

"You call yourselves the Residential Pranksters?" Remus said dubiously, exchanging glances with the boy across from him (Peter Pettigrew). 

"DO you have anything better?" James shot back defensively, pouting for all he was worth. 

"Matter of fact, I—_we_ do," Remus replied in a self-satisfied tone, pointing at him and Peter. 

"Let's hear it." 

"Let me tell him!" Peter cut in squeakily, a look of boyish enthusiasm crossing his face. "Oh, please let me say it!"

"Alright, Peter," Remus said soothingly, in the manner of one talking to a young child. 

"Are you ready for it, James?" Peter ranted in his high voice, trying very hard, and failing, to contain his excitement. "The Marauders!" 

James pondered this for a moment. "The Marauders?"

"Yes, the Marauders," Remus supplied impatiently. 

"But what exactly do you…erm…maraud?" James asked pointedly. 

Remus looked slightly put off. "Er…well, we haven't started really _marauding _anything, and I don't know if we really will, but it was too good of a name to not name ourselves…really."

Cogs began turning in James's head, faster and faster as he began thinking. "What if…" he started slowly, as if unsure of himself. Across from him, Peter nodded eagerly, urging him to continue.

"What if me and Sirius borrowed your name—The Marauders—and you joined our team—fair exchange, is it not? We would include you in on all our _marauding _expeditions and plans, all for letting us borrow your title. Fair enough?" 

Remus chewed contemplatively on a thick slice of turkey, stopping occasionally to pick fragments from his teeth (which, James noticed, were unusually sharp, but that couldn't be helped, could it?) 

"Please say yes, Remmie, say yes!" Peter squeaked some more, bouncing up from his seat like he had just sat on a porcupine quill. 

_Remmie? _James repeated silently, narrowing his eyes at Peter, who was going off in fits of pure delight. 

As James was thinking more rather rude thoughts about Peter, Remus was regarding the chubby boy with concern. Having known Peter for a few years now, Remus was somewhat of a big brother figure to the picked-upon boy, his protector, of sorts. After doing a bit of rough thinking, he looked up and spoke to the still-blabbering Peter.

"Have you had your pills yet?" he whispered into Peter's ear as he leaned across the table, robe hem coming dangerously close to being doused in pumpkin juice. 

"Pills? What pills, Remmie?" Peter gurgled innocently, letting a few giggles escape his lips. Up and down Gryffindor table, people were watching Peter with general interest and curiosity. 

Figuring that he hadn't, Remus stuck a finger into Peter's robe pocket (earning a shocked look from a fourth year girl) and pulled out a small gel capsule. Grabbing a piece of cheese from a nearby platter, he wrapped it around the capsule and, in one fluid motion, opened Peter's mouth and stuffed it inside before anyone could see. Feeling much more at ease, Remus leaned back in his chair and turned his attention back on James, who had gone back to picking at his stuffed mushroom. 

"I was thinking about your terms, and I have made my decision," Remus announced. 

James looked up.

"Yes, we'll join your team, and you can adopt our name." Remus stuck out a pale hand, and James shook it. Then James offered his hand to Peter, who had just swallowed the capsule-filled cheese, and shook. 

"It's set! Introducing, The Marauders—James Potter, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and Sirius Black!" James said happily, standing up on a chair and waving wildly to Sirius, who was seated at the very end of the long table. "Oy! Sirius!"

"James! I missed you!" Sirius shouted back, clambering unsteadily onto his chair, too. 

"Me too! Back to business, though!"

"Business? What kind?"

"Sirius, my ol' chum, we are no longer the Residential Pranksters," James said in a sad voice, hanging his head.

"No!" Sirius said, a look of horror crossing his features.

"We are now the Marauders!" James roared, pumping his fist into the air. 

"We are?" Sirius asked, confused. 

"Yes, we are, and Remus and Peter have wisely decided to join us—the Marauders!" James's voice was getting louder by the sentence. 

"Long live the Marauders!" Sirius yelled back, forgetting he was on a chair and jumping into the air. He landed on the edge of the chair, which teetered on its side for a second before crashing to the floor, Sirius on top of it. 

James was only now aware that the Great Hall had fallen silent, and all eyes were trained upon him and Sirius. 

"What?" he questioned irritably, the comment directed at the students in the Hall. 

Most people turned aside, feeling quite embarrassed, and chatter resumed. 

"See you in the common room!" Sirius hollered from his position on the floor.

James, doubled over with laughter, nodded, even though he knew Sirius couldn't see him. With a flourish, he sat back down on the chair and began elaborating his Give-the-Slytherins-the-Set-Sleeping-Draught plan with Remus.

He failed to notice that not once during the rest of dinner that Peter stayed quiet and had seemed to lose his hyper energy. 


	15. ANNOUNCEMENT

* * *

Note: I'm sorry I've been neglecting this story—as it is, I have a bit of a writer's block, so any ideas on where to go with this would be absolutely spiffing. Drop a note in the reviews, please. Please????? Don't make me use my famous trembling lip and puppy dog eye technique J. 

So, all in all, the purpose of this announcement is to say that the next chapter might be even longer in coming, unless, of course, I get struck by a sudden flash of inspiration. Maybe.  

Thanks to all reviewers, you have no idea how much I appreciate feedback,

VyingQuill


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